Badass Belle
by K8Dee
Summary: The dirtiest member of SAMCRO has met a girl who may change his ways. She may not be from around here, and she's nothing like any of the girls he's been with before, but she knows how things work.
1. Charlotte's Pilot

Charlotte pulled into Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair, her burnt orange 1970 Chevy Nova clunking into the lot. After the five day drive from Anniston, Alabama to Stockton, California the already struggling engine had taken a hit. She yanked her keys out the ignition and, pushing her shoulder into the door, opened it. Her four inch, nude wedges scattered gravel in all directions as she made her path to the open garage doors. She smoothed her faux silk blouse down into her pale grey, pinstriped slacks and shook her golden strands free of her sweaty neck as she took her aviator sunglasses off.

A young man with a short mohawk and tattoos on either side of his head walked up to her, wiping his hands with an already dirty rag and nodded at her "How can I help you today?" he asked, looking her up and down.

"Hi there." she replied with her voice jingling like a bell with her southern accent. "I need an oil change and probably some new belts" she pointed at the car behind her. "I'm also going to need you to check the ignition timing and the crankshaft sensor."

"You know some big words for such a little lady" a thin, muscular man said from underneath the hood of a car behind the young man helping Charlotte.

Charlotte ignored the man's comment and just continued looking at the young man helping her as he looked at her in silence, a bemused look on his face.

"I'm sorry" she said, adjusting her stance as her words continued to drip with a cautionary bittersweet tone and waved her hand in front of the young man's face "Are you havin' an episode or somethin' because I don't have a problem with a deaf-mute workin' on my car but I was told this is one of the best garages in town and I expect a higher quality of service than this."

The young man blinked multiple times and stuttered softly, "Yes-yes, ma'am."

"Yes ma'am, what?" she said cooly.

"We can fix that, ma'am."

"Now, that's good to hear." Charlotte responded, smiling condescendingly and slipping her sunglasses back over her eyes. She unclipped her car keys from her keychain and placed them in his hand. He smiled sheepishly and played with the keys. Charlotte waited a beat, "I have to do some paperwork or somethin'?" she asked, exasperatedly.

"Hey, why don't you go jerk off in the corner like the dumbass you are." the thin man working on the car behind them stepped up next to the young man and tapped him on the shoulder. The young man promptly scurried away out of view from Charlotte. "You a nun or some shit?" the older man asked as he gestured for Charlotte to follow him into the garage, past the cars and into the office.

"Do I look like a nun to you?" she asked, her words whipping out of her mouth; cracking like fire. The man stopped in the narrow hallway and turned to face her, his hand resting on the wall above his head as his ice blue eyes scanned her body up and down. Before he could speak Charlotte arched her shoulders in briefly then stood up straight and said purposefully, "What is your name?"

"My name?" he repeated, he stood up straight and held out his hand for her to shake. "Tig"

She looked at his hand, "Tig?" she repeated. He nodded proudly, "I'm sorry" she continued, "When I said 'What is your name' I wasn't asking for the name your middle school boyfriend gave your penis I mean, what-is-your-name." Her green eyes flashed and narrowed, boring holes into his blue ones until he blinked at her and swallowed.

"Alex...Alexander" he said before turning back around to continue leading her to the office.

"Alexander." she repeated, running her fingers through her long, blonde hair. "Lovely name your mother gave you." he tensed, "She know you treat women so boorishly?"

He was handing her a clipboard with a piece of paper for her to fill out on it and, when she reached for the pen, he slammed her hand down on it forcing her to look at him in the eyes again. "Boorish: coarse or bad-mannered" he recited. She blinked rapidly three times, "I know big words too." He winked at her.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up but she ignored it and filled the paperwork out. When she handed it back to Tig he looked it over and dropped it on the table next to the computer.

He spread his arms out on the counter in front of her and propped himself up on his hands in front of her. "So, based on what you said out there I'll send it up to do a full diagnostic on the car just to make sure-"

"Excuse me," she said, putting her hand in the air. "I can't do a full diagnostic. Please just check what I asked for. Any additional labor will be unnecessary."

"Listen, lady" Tig said, rolling his head on his neck to combat his impatience. "Like you said out there, we're the best garage in the county and we're not going to let you ride around in that classic bitch with a less than passable engine."

"Fine" she huffed finally, seeing as how coming back here once every two months wasn't something she wanted either "I should have my new credit card by then so that's...fine, I suppose."

"Oh, I-"

"So you got a phone book for a cab around here?" she cut him off again. It was infuriating to him but he reached down and adjusted his pants to hide the semi bulging behind them.

"I'll have one of my guys take you home." he said quickly and turned his head to shout over his shoulder. "HALF-SACK!" he hollered "HALF-"

"Hey Tig, yeah." a tall, skinny kid with a mop of hair on his head

"Take the nice lady home, okay?"

The kid nodded and held the door open for Charlotte to exit out of. She walked gracefully down the wooden steps leading down from the office and Tig watched her ass as she went. He stood at the door and watched as the southern belle she was walking down the stairs turned into a roadside hitcher when she hoisted herself into the cab of the tow truck.


	2. No Lady

_Back at the clubhouse…_

It had been hours since the Prospect had returned from dropping Charlotte at home and the club was just sitting around shooting shit when Juice turned to Half-Sack and said, "Hey, you took that uptight broad back to her castle or whatever?"

Tig zeroed in on the conversation as he rolled his beer bottle against his hand.

"Wasn't much of a castle, man. I mean she lives in Stocklton...that place has been going to shit for a year now. She's basically just got, like, a doublewide with a garage out back." Half-Sack said, shrugging.

"Shit, man! The way that gash's clock was wound you'd think she was queen or some shit." he got silent and stared off into space "She reminded me of a teacher I had once...scary as shit." he shuddered.

"Man, can't you just picture her as a teacher though?" Tig chimed in "some sweet glasses and a ruler in her hand." He bit his lower lip and nodded aggressively.

* * *

Around the same time Charlotte was in her piece of shit house unpacking boxes while her orange tabby jumped in and out of the empty boxes. Whe her kitchen cabinets were finally full she heated up a Lean Cuisine and opened a bottle of beer while she waited for it to cook. She dropped her bottle cap on the floor for her purring cat to play with and finished it in time to sit down with her hot meal and a brand new bottle.

When she was done with her meal she pulled her tank top off and let her sweatpants fall to the floor. On her way to her garage she pulled on a dirty cropped tee shirt and a pair of basketball shorts with grease stains on them. She walked into the garage through the side door and flicked on the lights. The frame of the 1965 Harley Davidson FLH Electra Glide was darkened by soot and grease and the singed gas tank and seat were sitting up on her work bench with a mess of other miscellaneous parts. She lit a cigar and put it in the ashtray next to some of the tools she had scattered on the counter then took a swig from her new beer. She threw a pair of glasses on and pushed play on the radio which started blasting Guns 'n Roses before crouching down and focusing on the connected parts in front of her. It wasn't long until her fifth bottle of beer and she started dancing as the music rang through her garage. She was tightening bolts while moving her hips and tuning springs while rolling her shoulders and flipping her hair like she was on a private stage with pink lights pointing at her.

The problem with her music being so loud was that she didn't hear the motorcycles pull up her short driveway or see Tig peer in through the windows in the garage door.

"Oh yeah" he moaned, resting his head against the glass while Sack and Juice kicked rocks at each other on the drive behind him. "That a-" his hand was on the bulge in his pants, squeezing it gently and watching her hips move from side to side when he stopped after noticing what she was working on. "Oh man" he groaned and turned to the men behind him "she's got a bike in there!" he narrowed his eyes "I...shit, I think that's a Harley"

Juice peered in over Tig's shoulder and nodded, impressed but pulled Tig away from the window. "C'mon you walking hard-on. Before you get arrested for trespassing."

"You stalk all the women who come to the garage?" Sack asked innocently

"Only the ones that know my real name." Tig muttered as he kicked his bike into ignition so no one heard what he said.

* * *

All next day when there wasn't club business Tig worked on her orange Nova, running a full diagnostic only to find that everything she mentioned originally was the issue.

 _Damn,_ he thought, _this bitch is something else._

When night fell he traded his garage shirt for his kutte and sparked up the Nova to drive it over to Charlotte's house, fighting the urge to smoke out the open window. He pulled into her driveway. Inside, she heard the uneven purr of a motor die and stood up from her meal just as Tig knocked on the door. She opened it till the chain tensed and she could see through the opening.

"Hi there!" Tig said, smoothing his hair down. "I just brought you your car back. All's well"

"I'm sorry," she said, resting her hand on her hip, "But it is nine o'clock at night. What exactly do you think you are doin'?"

"Just...dropping off your car, miss."

"Well unless you brought a credit card machine with you I'd really like to know how you expect me to pay."

"No-no charge. It's a great car, it was a pleasure to work on."

Charlotte looked him up and down, taking in the insignia across his kutte. "I don't need charity from any MC" she said briskly and started to close the door.

"Woah, wha-" he began before she reached for the door. He was able to slam his foot into the opening before she closed it completely.

"I suggest you remove your foot from my doorway before I cut it off" her eyes darted around at the boxes nearest her until she spied a meat tenderizer hiding underneath a sheath of bubble wrap.

He smiled at her through the crack in the door, "Listen, baby-"

WAMPH! Charlotte brought the tenderizer down on his foot, breaking at least two of his toes.

"Ah, fuck!" he yowled, "You crazy bitch!" he started laughing hysterically and his eyes twinkled at her "Ohhh you are crazy." He said, through the now closed door, resting his head back on it. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed seven. "Yeah, Sack" he said "Come get me man, I'm at that uptight chick's house you drove home yesterday...Kay, bye." he closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. "Awww baby you know how to make a boy yearn." He banged his head harder against the door as though to knock.

But Charlotte wasn't inside anymore, she was exiting out the back door with a .38 in her hand and made her way to the front porch where Tig was slumped against the door, holding his fractured foot.

When he saw the gun in her hand he scrambled backward but she let the hand hold handing it fall to her side and instead reached out her other hand and grabbed his ear.

"Now," she huffed and she pulled him down her front steps "I have not been in California long but in Alabama, when a lady asks you to get off her property. You best get off her damn property." she stopped dragging when he was at her property line in front of the Nova. "Because ain't no girl a true lady in Alabama."

She kicked Tig in the side and walked purposefully back into her house, locking the door behind her. She waited by the window until she saw a black van pull up in front of her house and someone hop out and run to Tig.

"Ah, fuck, Tig - what happened?!"

"I'M IN LOVE" Tig screamed in response. "That's what happened Half-Sack, baby. I'M IN LOVE!" he laughed wildly before closing the door behind him and the two of them driving off.


	3. Giving Back

When Tig limped into Church the next day he was instantly berated by his brothers inside.

"Soo, pistol whipped by a girl" Clay said, hitting him on the back then he took his seat. "How the tables have turned."

"I don't know, man" Tig replied scratching the back of his head; his eyes wide. "She's different...I think she's from the life."

The atmosphere in the room instantly changed. "Tig," Clay began, "if she did this to you and she's from the life then maybe we have to think…"

"No" Tig said, shaking his head halfway through Clay's speech, "Nah, there's no way she's doing this for a cause, man. Straight fear and rage." he smiled, remembering her last words to him last night. "Anyway, man what's going on with this fundraiser today?"

"About that…" Jax began, leaning forward "Kyle's kid is playing at the fundraiser tonight. April wants to know if it would be alright if he came…"

* * *

"Mr. Oswald." Charlotte held her hand out for him to shake as she crossed over the Oswald's threshold and into their home.

"Miss Harris" he replied curtly, shaking her hand. "This is my wife and my daughter, Tristen."

"Nice to meet both of you" she said smiling and shaking both their hands. It was quiet for a while so she took a deep breath and spoke again, looking right at Tristan "I'm pretty excited for you to show me around the fundraiser."

Tristan smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Me too...I'd like to go."

"Well then go we shall." she hooked arms with Tristen and smiled warmly at her. They walked together and talked about Tristen's school and extracurriculars while her parents trailed nervously behind.

As they approached the grounds of the fundraiser Charlotte felt Tristen tense next to her. "Big crowds." Charlotte said, adjusting her sunglasses and squinting around at the people in front of them. "Laughter, general merriment being had" she continued. "Today is not that day" she said soothingly and prompted Tristen to repeat that phrase.

As they crossed the parking lot and moved closer to the field a handful of bikes whirred past them and parked close to the field they were heading toward. When Tristen saw them and the grim reaper insignia on their back she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, the bikers dismounted, including one dressed as Elvis and pat Tristen on her back smiling and winking at her as they passed.

"How do you know them?" Charlotte asked stiffly, clearing her throat

"They're the Sons of Anarchy" Tristen replied "They helped my father...they helped me. Help me. They help me be able to walk around Charming by myself since the attack." she stared off, dreamy-eyed then sighed and looked at Charlotte again. "But...I won't be in Charming forever. I want to be okay everywhere. Especially at happy places like this" she smiled around at the food and raffle booths.

"You'll get there pumpkin" Charlotte sighed walking around the park with Tristen, talking her through some of the reservations she was having being in such a crowded place again.

She had moved to California to make a new life and to get away from her old one, meeting Mr. Oswald in just a few short days of being in Stockton had helped the transition immensely of her becoming a trusted social worker in the community.

After making her rounds to her friends and doing an egg toss and playing some other games she took Charlotte with her over to the SAM CRO booth to look around.

"Well hi there darlin'" a tall, older woman with dark hair and blonde highlights said to Tristen, coming around the table to hug her. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Miss Harris" Tristen said, smiling as she introduced them. "She's just helping me out a little bit after…"

"Ah" the woman said, "Gemma" she said holding out her hand for Charlotte to shake briefly

"Charlotte" she replied, nodding.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Gemma shook her bangs out of her face. "Can't say that I recognize you"

"No ma'am" Charlotte replied, "I just moved here from Alabama."

"And what brought you out to our sleepy little town of Charming?" she smirked at Charlotte.

"I actually just live a few minutes away in Stockton" she nodded furtively.

Across the field Tig spied Charlotte talking to Gemma. "Oh shit," he said, a smirk crossing his face. He whacked Half-Sack and Juice in the arms and jutted his chin across the field to the two women interacting with one another. He promptly pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and made his way quickly through the crowd, the other two following behind him. "Hey there Gem" he said smoothly when he reached the booth and stood in front of Charlotte, sliding his sunglasses off over his eyes and onto his head. "Sunshine" he nodded and winked at Charlotte.

"Alexander" Charlotte said cooly, not wishing to embarrass herself in front of Gemma. "Tristen, I have to use the ladies', do you mind if I…" she gestured away from the booth.

"She can stay right here with us." Gemma said and nodded at Charlotte to go.

She pushed past Tig and walked toward to school that was holding the event to find a women's bathroom. She had just passed through the gym when someone grabbed her elbow gently. She wrenched it out of their grasp and turned to face - _surprise, surprise_ \- Tig.

"My lord!" she said in utter disbelief. "Are you brain dead or do I have to break your other foot for you to get the picture?"

"What's your issue with me?" he asked sweetly, turning up one side of his lip as he looked down at her.

"Look" she said aggressively "I told you I don't take favors from MC because I don't owe favors to MC."

"That bike I saw, torn up in that garage of yours, plus the...spunk you have leads me to believe you may not owe favors to an MC but you definitely owe your upbringing to it."

"That is NONE of your damn business" she said in a soft, sweet voice and the sweeter she talked to him the more her accent deepened. "Now, if you'll just excuse me."

"You know what" he said, biting his lower lip and rounding on her. "If you had lived the life you wouldn't be so dammned judgemental. Our queen is out there raising money for kids music programs and I don't know if she told you but we did justice for that little girl and wasted the sick clown who raped her."

"What?" she said, backing away from him. "I thought you just protect her cause her daddy's got money."

"No," he said moving close to her, seeing some of the bricks crumbling from the exterior she had up. "We wasted that shit stain." her skin blistered with goosebumps "That shit doesn't fly in our town."

"That's nice" she said, put her hand on his chest, looked in his eyes "that's really nice" she drew out the word really and Tig moved closer to her. "I still don't owe favors to any MC" she then promptly pushed him away from her just as his face started moving closer to hers.

"How about just to me then." he said innocently following her as she walked closer to the bathrooms.

She promptly spun around and slapped him in the face. His hand went to his face quickly to quell the burning pain. She grabbed his ear again, digging her nail into his lobe this time. "Listen here, I did not just travel all the way across country to become some skid or sweet butt or whatever SAMCRO calls their good time girls. Do you understand me?"

He reached around to her, grabbed her upper arm with his hand and pinned her against the wall "Listen lady, after what you've done to me you really think I'd be after you still for a pass-around lay?" he chuckled and wrenched his ear out of her grasp then pushed her other shoulder into the wall so he was hovering over her his long, curly tendrils making a curtain in front of his piercing blue eyes. "Let me take you, like, what, I don't know…" he flipped his hair out of his face. "What kind of, like, a date or something!"

She squirmed under his grasp but he squeezed her tighter, "Not used to having to work for it, huh?" each word dripped with venom so his face hardened.

They stared at each other for a handful of uncomfortable seconds then he spoke: "Your place. Tonight. Nine o'clock. I'll order some food and we'll pop open some beers and we'll work on it together." he patted her face "We'll swap stories...it's like dinner and a movie but not fucking gay." She stared at him, her lips pursed.

"Tig!" Elvis had burst into the hallway and was walking toward Tig and Charlotte

Tigger released her "See you at nine o'clock, Charlie." with a smile and a wink he walked back down the hallway with Elvis.

Charlotte turned swiftly into the bathroom, burst through a stall and bent herself over a toilet to empty the contents of her stomach into. It had been such a long time since anyone had called her Charlie and she still wasn't ready to hear it.


	4. Generosity

After returning from the fundraiser, having watched the fireworks with the Oswalds, Charlotte returned to her house and unpacked some more. In the cab the whole way home Charlotte had resolved to going to bed at eight thirty so she would be completely justified in calling the cops when he started banging on her door. After spending a few minutes in the house, surrounded by boxes she stayed up. She told herself that her motives were strictly to make as much headway as possible with the boxes but deep down she felt the loneliness of being in a new place and not knowing anyone creeping to the surface. She started scratching in between her middle and pointer fingers on her left hand. _Need to find a meeting nearby_ she noted.

When nine-thirty passed Charlotte couldn't help herself to check the window every ten minutes to see if a black bike was parked outside. At eleven fifteen she finally closed her bedroom door behind her and decided to go to bed.

It was at this time that Tig started slurping from a designated bottle of whiskey to blur the memory of Kyle's burning flesh from his mind.

Fourty-five minutes later he jolted up on his barstool, sloshing whiskey down his front. "What time is it?!" he asked hysterically. "What fucking-" he squinted his eyes and widened them again, looking at his watch. "Aw SHIT!" he yelled, pulling his sweatshirt out from underneath Bobby's head and throwing it over his shoulder as he mounted his had driven in worse condition but getting the several miles from Charming to Charlotte's house was difficult to say the least.

"Charliiiiiieeeee!" he screamed at the house as he tried to get his kickstand down. "Charlie!"

Inside Charlotte jumped awake and her cat scampered off her bed. It wasn't until the third or fourth call of his adopted nickname for her that she threw the covers off and ran to the front door before he woke all her neighbors.

When he saw her emerge from the front door Tig started whistling, still trying to prop his bike up. She was wearing boyshorts and a large black t shirt with a faded insignia that was hard to see in the darkness he stumbled over to her, letting his bike fall to the ground on her driveway. As he reached for her she pushed him onto the patch of grass in front of her house and rushed over to the bike. She lifted it upright, with difficulty and set the kickstand into a locked position. She grabbed him by the collar of the shirt he was wearing underneath his cut and picked him up onto his feet, tossed him onto her couch inside the door; slamming it behind the both of them.

"You drove your bike here...drunk...in the middle of the night...then _laid it down_ in my driveway?!" she asked, disgusted and perplexed. "How little respect do you have for yourself?" she asked, "For the club?"

He pulled his knife on her and held it to her throat. She took a deep breath in initially but then leaned into his blade, it gently digging into the skin of her neck. "How dare you" he spat at her.

"You let your bike fall" she said matter 'o factly. Slowly, he removed his blade from her throat. She walked quickly into her bedroom and pulled an unsheathed pillow from on top of the boxes around it. She came back into the living room and threw the pillow at him. "Sleep it off...you won't even remember this in the morning." She returned to her bedroom and got into bed. Looking at into the darkness and thinking about how she, too, would make sure to forget the incident with the bike by the time morning came.

* * *

When Charlotte did finally wake up the clock read ten a.m. She opened her door and exited into the hallway off the living room then tied her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. When she entered the kitchen she was surprised to see Tig already there, with a bag of muffins sitting on the table and his kutte draped over one of her kitchen chairs. when she saw the kutte the first thing she did, the only thing she could think to do, was to snatch it up off the back of the chair and chuck it at Tig, causing him to spew dry muffin crumbs from his mouth.

"This is not your house and I am not your old lady" she explained calmly, turning to her refrigerator and pulling out some orange juice. She turned to face him and rest her back against the fridge "Don't hang your kutte up here."

When she turned to grab two glasses for the juice he saw the small, yellow Maltese cross tattooed behind her ear. He couldn't make out the miniscule words written in between each spire of the cross but saw the plainly stamped letter 'H' on the top spire, 'L' on the bottom spire, 'M' on the left spire and 'C' on the right.

She set a glass down in front of him a poured some juice into it. "So," he said after taking a sip, "Hell's Lovers" Charlotte's hand jumped unconsciously to behind her ear. "What's it say around the outside?" he asked, slurping his juice now.

"Born in, bred through" she said softly, clearing her throat before sitting down in the seat across from Tig.

"So, your old man, then?" he asked throwing a muffin to her.

"Obviously" she replied through a mouthful of crumbs.

"Don't get smart with me" Tig warned but only for show as he was pretty sure the look she gave him after he said that made him piss his pants a little."He know you're out here?"

Charlotte let the silence sit for a long time. "They're dead."

"They-" Tig began

"Yeah, 'they'" she repeated, "My dad died before I was born, my step dad died too." she finished lamely

"When?" he pried

She glowered and him and he sunk back into his chair, "More recently" she said in a tone that let Tig know that the conversation was over. The chewed more in complete silence, until "These taste like shit on cardboard." Charlotte commented

Tig laughed, "Yeah but my boy Bobby says they're better for you."

"The earth do I want 'Better-for-me' muffins for?"

She looked over Tig's dark features that vastly contrasted her fair ones. His dark, leathery cheeks were sallow where her peachy ones were plump and creamy. Her petite, lightly freckled nose was diminutive next to his large, hooked one. She was one of those lucky girls with nearly perfectly straight hair, if dried correctly - beautifully blonde the shades varying depending on how the light hit it. His flat, dark curls sat in a bouffant around his head.

"How about I get some of the boys over here to help you unpack." Tig said suddenly, jerking Charlotte awake.

"I thought you said I wasn't going to owe the club" she said, smirking at him.

"You wouldn't" he said, sitting up and pointing at the badge over his right chest pocket. "I do for you but they do for me."

Charlotte snickered softly, gazing at Tig's face. "Thanks for breakfast." she ran her fingers through her hair and stood up, dumping the rest of her muffin in the trash can. "Your bike's been parked on my lawn overnight. I think you've done enough for me."

Tig stood up and finished his glass then placed it in the sink behind him. "I'm a naturally generous guy though" he said, walking over to her. "I'll let you know when it's enough."


	5. Do For You

Over the course of the coming week Charlotte would come home to find little errands done every day. First, her lawn was fed and mowed and it began looking much less dilapidated than it was when she moved in. Then, a screen door was put in and the glass windows fixed on the garage door. Another day, she came home from lunch to find the young man, Half Sack, with a bucket of paint and a large roller to the side of her house.

"Excuse me!" she called over to him as she walked up the driveway to meet him. He promptly rested the roller against the house and ran over to her, pulling the bandana off his forehead.

He half bowed to her and said, "Hello ma'am. Just brushing up on my painting skills." his shoulder shook as he laughed at his own joke.

She stared at him, blinking in response to his immaturity. "Pack up your things and go" she said flipping her hair off her shoulder.

"But Tig said-"

"Oh, I'm sure I know what Alexander said." she narrowed her eyes "You tell him that I said, once again, 'no thank you'" she smiled at the Prospect and entered her house, locking the door behind her.

* * *

When Sack returned to the club, covered in paint he attempted to avoid eye contact with Tig until Tig turned to him to ask how the paint job went.

"Uhhh, I didn't get to finish it." Sack said, rubbing the back of his neck and turning to walk past Tig

Tig promptly reached out and grabbed his ear, a move he found to be incredibly effective thanks to Charlotte. "What do you mean it's not finished" Tig said through bared teeth.

"I couldn't finish it Tigger" the kid cried, bending into Tig's yanking hand. "The broad came home, she told me to go."

"Since when do you listen to someone over me?" he asked, letting go of Sack's ear, violently throwing him into the bar

"Hey Tig, man. No offense but you've seen her do that thing before. That thing where her eyes go all dead and your balls jump into your throat."

"What-did-she-say?" he asked rubbing his temples.

"She said to tell you, once again, that she said no thank you. In that sweet voice she has." the brothers within earshot snickered at Tig.

"Aw, shit" he said, running his fingers over his head.

"This gash better be tight and sweet as fuck if she's got you wound so tight like this." Bobby chortled into his beer

Tig socked him in the temple, causing him to pour his beer down the front of his shirt and screaming, "Don't fucking call her that" as he wound his way through the clubhouse tables, out the door and jumped in the pickup Sack had brought back with the paint still in it.

* * *

He squealed into her driveway and unloaded the truck again, "You want me to be the one to do for you?!" he screamed aggressively at the house while he began rolling paint onto the siding. "Well here I am!"

"Actually," Charlotte said calmly, opening the kitchen window and sticking her head out to look at him "I believe that what I specifically said was 'no thank you'" But, instead of harping on the point further, Charlotte looked at Tig and smiled, closing the window slowly to separate them again.

A few hours later, Tig was finally ready to let the light grey paint dry and filled the truck back up with all the supplies. When Charlotte heard the truck bed snap shut she went to the front door and called up the driveway to him, "Hey" she shouted, "I made food." She pushed open her screen door as an invitation and walked back into her house leaving Tig to find his way in.

When he had locked the door behind him Charlotte's cat jumped down from her perch on the couch and wound it's way between Tig's feet. "I met this little hairball last time I was here." he said, bending down to scratch behind it's ears. "What's it's name anyway?" he asked, following her into the kitchen

"Her name is Alcatraz" she said, smiling as she placed two plates down on the table opposite one another. She pronounced it with a different inflection so that it was said, Al-CAT-raz.

Tig chuckled as he sat down across from her

She shrugged, "I was fifteen when I named that little mush face." she smiled back at him and dug her fork into the meat in front of her.

They sat in almost complete silence that consisted mostly of Tig shooting glances at Charlotte between mouthfuls of food until Charlotte asked him if they had gotten any interesting repairs at the shop recently.

He thought hard while he chewed his food then, finally, shrugged, "Honestly, mostly just soccer mom cars and basic bikes."

Charlotte chewed on her food for a while too "Well, that's just rivetin'"

"Well" he said, shifting in his seat. "That night I was late coming to you…"

"Stop" Charlotte said quickly. "You don't know me. I'm not SAMCRO family."

"Nah," he said, shrugging, "This is almost common knowledge."

"I don't want you to-"

"How about you don't tell me how to handle my business."

Charlotte recoiled and sucked in her cheeks. Before she opened her mouth to speak Tig knew he had pissed her off. "How about you don't speak to me like that in my own home." she replied, squaring her shoulders up to face him.

"Oh man," he said shaking his head and leaning back in his seat, hooking his elbows behind the chair's back, "You are just pure spitfire." He stared at her, "It really makes me hot" he reached his hand down underneath the table and was grabbing his junk while he bit his lower lip and leaned toward her.

Charlotte smiled at him snidely and leaned toward him as well, "You should probably get that checked; could be a sign of an STD." she said, her tone flat. Once he was close enough to her he grabbed a small chunk of her hair and pulled her head down onto the table then bent over her to kiss her neck. Her legs flailed underneath the table as she tried to get out from underneath his grasp but he was now sucking the life out of the skin above her collarbone. When he came up for air to look at Charlotte and smile impishly at her she grabbed a huge handful of salad and shoved it in his face, her fingers pushing pieces of romaine into his mouth. He abruptly let go of her hair and stood up from the table, knocking the chair over and spitting romaine out of his mouth all over the kitchen.

He backed her into the door jam of her kitchen, one of his hands digging into her small, fleshy stomach. Holding her there, his fingers pressing so hard into her skin that she felt purple welts sprout underneath them, he reached back for a handful of mashed potatoes. He saddled her against the wall, his hips pressing into her and his feet on either side of hers. With his empty hand he ripped her shirt open then smeared the mashed potatoes from underneath her chin to past her belly button.

Tig noticed that she had a single tear track down her face and she was shaking uncontrollably, her mouth wide open. He paused and watched her warily until and vocal snort emitted from her mouth. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized she was laughing instead of crying. She put the back of her hand up to her mouth to quell her laughter. He watched her endearingly as her green eyes brimmed with tears of laughter. He slowly pulled her hand away from her mouth and ran his rough one against her cheek before grabbing another handful of her hair and pulling her face to his roughly. As his tongue entered her mouth she took a deep breath in and smelled the faded leather and motor oil; the taste of stale cigarettes and booze in her mouth from his. Tig pushed her up on the wall until her legs were wrapped around his waist and his body was pressed so firmly up against hers she felt as though she would surely crack a rib.

She felt her throat begin to tighten while he sucked and pulled on her lower lip and tongue. Suddenly she couldn't breathe and began hyperventilating. "Stop" she croaked, "Stop. STOP!" she screeched when she could finally get the words out. He pulled away from her and searched her face, noticing her chest rising and falling at an accelerated rate that made him incredibly nervous.

"Are you-are you okay?" he asked, his eyes wide and totally freaking out

She searched his face wanting to kiss him more so badly but her body was still in partial seizure, "Just...just" she croaked, looking around wildly until she got another good whiff of the unique smell coming off his kutte. "Take it off" she said, gesturing wildly at his cut. He furrowed his brows at her, knowing that most croweaters dug the kutte most of all. "Take it off!" she demanded again.

He let her feet touch the floor again and he hurried to take the cut off. For good measure he also took off the rest of his tops, exposing his bare skin and the SoA tat on his back. He bent down and leaned in to kiss her more cautiously this time. Her breathing slowed back to normal with the smell of club leather out of her nose she was able to kiss Tig back roughly, her teeth almost sinking completely into his lower lip; her nails breaking skin down his back.

Tig grabbed her slight, bony hips roughly, lifted her off the floor and slammed her back into the wall so her breasts were level with his face. He made eye contact with her briefly by lifting his head to her before diving into the mounds on her chest, licking and sucking the leftover mashed potatoes trailing down her body. Her rosy pale skin blistered into read angry patches of dots where he had sucked too hard but it was then when she had moaned for him the loudest.

He had just started kissing her on the mouth again and his hand was down her pants when the back door burst open and SAMCRO burst in.

"Oh fuck!" he cursed loudly, letting her fall to the ground against the wall after detaching from her.

"Come on, Tig, club business" Jax said, sounding genuinely regretful for intruding

"The hell happened here?" asked Bobby, looking around the wrecked kitchen in amusement.

Tig had thrown his shirts back over his head in one swift motion before grabbing Charlotte by the back of her neck to kiss her deeply before heading out the door behind Jax and Bobby.


	6. First Meeting

Charlotte woke up the next morning aching from her encounter with Tig. When she looked at herself in the mirror and saw the many welts and hickeys that had sprouted over her body she decided that it would be best if she called out from work. When she walked into the kitchen and saw the mess they had created the night before she smiled until the memory of the taste of cigarettes and booze combined with that smell of worn leather and motor oil flooded into her head again. The memory of those smells weren't from last night, though. She quickly grabbed a hooded sweatshirt and pulled it over her head, grabbed her keys and went to find the nearest meeting.

When she spotted the sign outside a church on the outskirts of Charming that read: "Substance support groups - 12:00 p.m." she swerved into the parking lot, jammed on the brakes and ran inside, her watch reading 12:26. When she burst through the doors of the meeting room she waved apologetically at the moderator sitting next to the podium at the front of the room and sat down quietly in the back.

After a small, twitchy man with dirty blonde hair and eyes that darted every which way except out at the audience had finished the moderator got up and said, "Thank you Lowell." She then gestured for Charlotte to take the podium while continuing to speak to the onlookers beneath her, "We've all had those days where - like a bolt of lightning - a meeting feels like the only place you can turn and if you don't go you'll most surely fall." She pat Charlotte on the shoulder and nodded supportively.

Charlotte smiled at her, "My name is Charlotte." she said out to the rag tag group of ex-addicts in front of her.

"Hello Charlotte" they replied in unison.

"Hi" she said breathlessly, "I'm new to this area. So…" she paused and looked around "I guess I have to start from the beginning since no one knows my background." She took a deep breath and started to sweat, she wasn't prepared to start over today. "Okay!" she said, lightheartedly, "Okay, I can do this." she shook her hair out of her face and took a deep breath. "So, I got hooked on heroin my junior year of college after...a group of guys drugged me and a few of my...friends" they had been her sisters, her sister crosses - fellow daughters and girlfriends of HLMC, "for three days, kept us in a basement and raped us." she said the last part rapidly as though each word was removing actual poison from her body. "One of the girls, was my sister, technically my half sister. She was only in high school." she stared out over the heads of the people looking up at her. She sniffled quickly to push the tears that began to well in the back of her throat aside. "She died...her body was fragile and she died from an overdose the first night we were there… … Sometimes," she said, her throat tightening and straining her voice, "I'm glad she died that first night...that she didn't have to live those three days with us." her voice trailed off as she continued to stare. "Anyway," she said shaking her head to get the images out of it. "My father died breaking us out of there and, with my mom having died of cancer three years previously the drugs just made everything easier." A couple of people in the group nodded, looking at their hands. "I dropped out of school and disappeared from the people who wanted to really support me. Until one day, five years later they forced their way back in, helped me get clean, get back to school and move out here." She looked down at her knuckles, white from grabbing the sides of the podium so hard.

After a few moments the moderator spoke up, "And what brings you here to us today?" she asked, her voice like velvet.

"Today?" Charlotte asked, dazedly, before locking eyes with the moderator and reentering the present moment. "There's this guy." she said, her voice a mere croak. "Who, somehow, reminds me of both my attackers and my saviors at the same time."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside on Main Street, Juice was driving past the church, saw the orange Nova and continued on his way to T&M. When he got there he walked straight into the clubhouse to find Tig, still passed out on the couch from the night before.

"Hey, Tig" he said, shaking the Sergeant at Arms' foot. "Tig!"

"What do you want you piece of shit?" Tig asked through the shirt that was laying over his face.

"That lady's car is parked outside that church that Lowell goes to for his meetings." Juice said, walking behind the bar, "I just thought you'd want to know."

"Yeah," said Tig, sitting up. "Thanks man." He stretched then walked out into the sunlight of the yard and flipped open his phone. "Hey Happy" he said when the person on the other like picked up.

"Hey Tig, what can I do for you, brother?" Happy said on the other line.

"You have any contacts out in Alabama?" he asked, scratching the back of his head

"Yeah" the Nomad member replied, "I got some contacts out that way."

"Any of them Hell's Lovers?"

"Yeah man, of course. You think it's easy for a spic like me to make friends with any _non-_ integrated clubs down there?" he chuckled coldly

"Any chance you could pass my number their way and let them know I'm just interested in a chat about their recent history."

"Uhhh, yeah I guess" Happy said, perplexed.

"Thanks man, see you around." He hung up the phone and got on his bike. He was just about to start it when he reconsidered, got off and shrugged he kutte off his shoulders and went into the garage to hang it in his locker, swapping it for his mechanic's shirt. He remounted his bike and turned out of the yard. When he reached Main Street he saw Charlotte's orange Nova parked, not in front of the church but but in front of a local coffee place instead. He pulled up behind the Nova and killed the engine. Once inside, he looked around the shop for her shimmering blonde hair but didn't see it. He was just about to leave when he saw a small, sweatshirt clad figure at the register turn around with a coffee in her hand.

"Hey," he said walking up to her. "I didn't recognize you with this on." he pushed the hood off her head and let it fall onto the back of her neck. She quickly pulled the hood around her throat to conceal the hickies as best she could with the hood down. He chuckled at what she was trying to hide and simply shook his head. "How are you?" he asked, sinking into a seat at one of the coffee tables and gesturing for her to do the same.

"Oh you know, darlin'" she said, smiling sweetly, hiding her pain and fear. "Right as rain."

"Don't bullshit me" he said, narrowing his eyes at her. He waited and then spoke again, "How was your meeting?" Charlotte's stomach bubbled with anger and she ground her teeth. Tig saw the signs and grabbed her wrist before it could reach for the cup of hot coffee. "You need to learn how to control you anger." he said leaning close to her and whispering warningly.

Instead of spitting in his face like she wanted to or kicking him in the shin to let him know she wasn't just someone he could boss around and get away with, in her vulnerable state her eyes welled with tears. Tigs eyes widened in surprise and he loosened his grip just enough for her to be able to wrench her wrist from it and leave the shop.

"Aw, fuck Charlie!" he called after her, getting up and wrenching the door open after her.

She had her keys in the door of her car, ready to wrench it open and drive away but when she heard him call her Charlie she whipped around and slapped him. "Do NOT call me that!" she screamed, pointing at him. "That is not okay for you to call me that" she said, starting to burst into tears.

"Oh, shit" he said softly, quickly opening the door for her. He knew she wouldn't want people seeing her cry in public any more than he would want people seeing him get slapped so he grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the front seat of the car then pushed her, roughly over to the passenger side to preserve his image and get her home, out of the public eye as quickly as possible.

By the time Tig pulled her car into the driveway she was nearly catatonic, her face wet from tears, staring blankly out the window. "Thanks for the ride." she said, her voice cracking. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. "My little sister used to call me Charlie."

After a beat of silence, Tig squeezed the steering wheel in anger before shouting at her "The fuck am I supposed to know that?!" he stared at her, his eyes crazy. "You know, normal people open their goddamn mouths and tell other people shit in order to, like, I don't know, get to know each other and shit!" He looked back at her face that was turned away from him so he grabbed her cheeks to get her to look at him. When he saw the way her cheeks were smooshed into her nose and mouth and her big green eyes looked at him he loosened his grip on her face but kept it pointed at him. "I wanna, like, get to know you and shit."

She looked at him up and down and really noticed his shirt and that he wasn't wearing his kutte. "I can see that." she said, cooly, backing up against the car door "I'm just...not ready for anything like that."

He let go of her face and beat his hands against the steering wheel. She reached to touch his cheek, stroked it softly with her thumb then said, "Goodbye Tig." and got out of the car.


	7. Old Bones

For the next four days Charlotte didn't see Tig and rumor was that SAMCRO was somewhere in Nevada. She went about her life, throwing herself into her work and her meetings. Until, on the fifth day a familiar face was sitting on her porch steps when she pulled into her driveway.

"Sam?!" she called excitedly from her open window before pushing her car door open and running to hug him. "Sammy Boy!" she said as he swung her around.

The muscular, darker-skinned man squeezed her tightly before putting her back on her feet. "It's nice to see you Belle" he said.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, leading him into her home.

"Rode up with Platte" he said

She turned around to face him. "Platte's here?" she asked, crossing her arms and smiling

"Yeah, him me and Chico rode out"

She chuckled, "Well, where are they?" she asked shrugging.

"Getting a tuneup over at some garage." he said vaguely, shrugging then smiling at her.

She sunk down into her couch, her eyes still looking up at him. "What garage?" she asked

"Teller-Morrow" he said, crossing to the front door and locking it before turning back to face her

* * *

Over at the clubhouse, Tig was watching the Prospect jumping rope outside a ring while Chibs, Bobby and Clay were talking when a large, burly black man with a shaved head underneath his yellow bandana and a young, Latino man with a long scar corkscrewed around his arm pulled into the lot and started walking towards them.

"Which one of you is Tig?" the black man asked, his voice deep voice cutting across the yard and cracking his knuckles.

All four of the SAMCRO members stood up and Half Sack stopped jumping when they saw the two intruders. Tig squinted at them through his sunglasses taking in the insignia on the pair's kuttes. His three brothers were advancing quickly on them "Oh, hey!" he said, cutting in front of Clay, Bobby and Chibs. "That's me man, that's me." he smiled at them and held out his hand.

The black man, Platte, looked down at Tig's hand and crossed his arms over his chest but it was the Latino man, Chico, who spoke. "Friend'a mine out here," he squared up to Tig, whose hand fell lamely to his side, "said you wanted to talk about our history."

"What the hell is going on, Tig?" Clay asked warily.

Tig ignored him and engaged with the Latino man in front of him. "Yeah, man." he said earnestly, "I just had some questions about…" he wanted to choose his words carefully so he switched gears. "I met this girl…"

Wrong words. Platte pushed Chico out of the way and grabbed Tig by the throat. "She's not interested in your hundred year old, saggy ass balls." he growled in Tig's face, who's hand was up, keeping his brothers at bay despite their knives being drawn from the sheaths they wore on their hips.

"I just-" Tig croaked with difficulty, "Wanted to know about her father" he managed to speak with difficulty. Platte released his grasp and sent Tig skittering onto the dirt, gasping for air. When he was standing again he explained, "She mentioned he had died more recently and I thought if I knew more about that then I would know more about her."

"You better not want to know more about her" Platte threatened.

"Yeah, but, I do." Tig said aggressively, holding his arms out, "So sue me." Platte stared him down but Tig just stared right back at him. "For some reason" he continued, "I have a thing for little blonde chicks who treat me like absolute shit, okay?"

Platte started laughing, his stomach shaking like a bowl of jelly. "Damn man" he said shaking his head at Tig, "You have no idea what you're getting into."

"We taught that girl right" Chico commented, "Her daddy didn't want her becoming some MC dick rag. She's been used enough, man; she's not letting anything get to her now on."

"It's not like that" Tig said, looking right at Platte

But Platte looked passed him to the patches on the men behind him before walking up to Clay and holding out his hand "Platte" he said, introducing himself, "Honestly, man, I'm sorry to bring this shit to your club but I would appreciate it if you and I could go talk for a spell."

Clay shook his hand, firmly and looked at Tig over his sunglasses before saying, "Seems to me you're not the one who brought this shit." He lead Platte into the clubhouse and the rest followed them in.

After Platte, Chico, Clay and Tig had sat down at a table and, after a look from Platte, Clay told the rest of the people in the club to get lost Platte started talking, "Our way over here we heard mostly good things about SAMCRO. We're glad one of our own was able to move so close the the OC of a club that seems pretty...family oriented and protective of the people in their town." Clay nodded in agreement with his diagnostic of SAMCRO "But then we get a message saying that some old-timer right hand wanted to talk to us, you can see how we would worry for her safety."

"Of course." Clay said, glaring at Tig.

"How much time would you say Ma Belle has been spending around the club?" Platte asked, leaning forward and interlacing his fingers

"Honestly," Clay said "I've never even seen her around here."

"I don't bring her to the club" Tig interjected

"I'd like to see you try and BRING a girl like that anywhere, she goes where she wants to." spat Platte

"I've been made well aware of that" Tig said, gritting his teeth and crossing his arms.

"Alright!" Clay snapped at Tig then turned back to Platte, "What is this about, exactly? She someones Ol' Lady or something?"

Platte turned his head slowly to look at Clay. "No" he said, clearing his throat. "She's straight through family." he patted his chest right above his heart. His eyes drilled holes into Tig when he turned to him, "She's got pain like you couldn't imagine. None of us could. Been hurt because of the club and kept on hurting."

"It wasn't the club's fault" Chico said shaking his head, "Belle knows that."

"You come all the way out here to tell me to leave her alone?" Tig asked leaning in to Platte, narrowing his eyes.

"Came all the way out here to see who had the balls to step to us and try and push up on Belle."

"Well, that would be me so now we've met and-" he started to stand up from the table but Clay pulled him back into his seat. "Aw, man, come on!" Tig yelled, knocking some empty beer bottles off the table and onto the floor, "We're both consenting adults I don't need to be interrogated by her daddy like some impotent prom date!"

Platte got up from the table, grabbed Tig by the front of his shirt and punched him in the face. He fell off his chair and onto the floor, holding his nose.

"He definitely deserved that." Clay said, laughing.

"I want to know what life would be like for our girl if she gets absorbed into this club." Platte said, point blank, to Clay.

Clay sighed, "I think the best way for you to know that is to spend some time with us." he pat Platte on the back, "What's our is yours." he picked Tig up off the floor and pat him on the back too before leading Platte back out into the yard. "Our prospect is fighting tonight, lightweight fight, you're more than welcome to come."

When the four of them stepped into the sunlight of the yard they saw Charlotte resting against her Nova with Sam on his bike parked next to her. Her arms were crossed tightly and her lips pursed. She didn't move until they were all in front of her smiling nervously. She took off her sunglasses and glared at Platte and Chico, causing them to look at their feet. Her gaze softened when she looked at Clay and shook his hand respectfully, "Nice to meet you." she said sweetly before moving toward Tig, who took as step back from her - and for good reason. "And, what - on this green rock our lord created - gave you the RIGHT-" she began before Sam came up, behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and held her back from Tig.

"Maybe we should have this one fight tonight instead." chuckled Clay

She shook free of Sam's grasp and rounded on Platte, who was smiling endearingly at her. "He's-" she took a deep breath, "he's not a bad guy Platte." She avoided eye contact with Tig while she said this. "Ain't nothin' I can't handle."

"I think you've handled enough" Platte replied, pulling her into a hug. "You going to meetings?" he whispered in her ear

"Yeah" she whispered back, nodding into his shoulder.

He let her go and backed out of the way for her to hug Chico before saying, "You got plans for tonight, Ma Belle?"

"Yeah I was gunna…"

"Cancel them" he cut her off and smiled at Clay. "You're coming with us to the fight tonight."

"All right!" Clay said jubilantly, "Let me have my Ol' Lady get you some beers."

"So," Tig said, his hands in his back pockets walking closer to Charlotte, following Clay and platte back to the ring, "You don't think I'm a bad guy, huh?"

Charlotte smiled mischievously and looked down at her feet before pushing Tig away from her until he lost balance, stumbled like a newborn giraffe and fell on the lot. "Doesn't mean I'm not a bad girl." she called to him over her shoulder while she continued walking.

He stayed on the ground, watching her ass move back and forth as she walked away from him. He laid his head back on the ground until Bobby came out of the garage and walked up to him. "I'm in trouble, man" he said to Bobby, putting his hand over his heart and running his other hand over his head, knocking some of the dust off it. Bobby helped Tig get to his feet and they both walked over to the ring.

Charlotte had been introduced to a young girl named Cherry and was talking animatedly to her when Tig walked up to Clay and Bobby. She saw Jax come around the side of the building and a few minutes later the three of them were walking towards their bikes.

"How'd you meet the prospect?" Charlotte asked Cherry

Cherry looked at her feet and back at Charlotte, "We met in Nevada, they patched over the crew I was with there."

"You're a sweet butt." Charlotte said nodding

"I was" Cherry said abrasively, "I'm here for Kip now."

Charlotte smiled, "That's sweet." she said then looked around at the guys, "How do they treat you?"

Cherry shrugged and turned to face the ring that Kip was fighting in. "Pretty well considering."

"Considering what?"

Cherry looked Charlotte up and down before noticing the tattoo behind her ear. "I broke the rules is all, came back here and it caused some friction with a crow and his Old Lady. I just wanted to be with Kip."

Charlotte took Cherry's chin in her hand and turned her to look at her face. "I'm guessing that issue is where this came from."

"Yeah" she nodded, pulling her chin out of Charlotte's grasp. "It's my payment but he's worth it." Charlotte smiled at the look Cherry was giving Kip.

"That's sweet." Charlotte said again, taking a sip of beer. When it was finished, she walked up to Platte who was watching his two brothers with a pair of skids on their laps, "I'm going to go home and change before the match." she said to him.

"Sounds good" he replied looking out at the people in front of him. Before she could turn to leave he turned to her and said, earnestly. "Heard some stories about what they did for a little girl out here...for that junkie over there, too." He jutted his chin at Lowell in the garage across the lot.

"Oh yeah?" she said, crossing her arms.

"I'm just saying, they seem like good people here."

"No one's better than the HL" she said, standing on her toes and kissing him on the cheek before walking to her car and leaving.


	8. Old Bones and Tequila

Charlotte had brushed her hair back and teased it behind a folded yellow bandanna she had tied around her head like a headband. Underneath a cropped leather jacket that she had pulled from the back of her closet she wore a plain, skin tight, black tank top. A small strip of her midriff was exposed between the hem of her tank and the top of her low rise jeans. She was just putting on some black mascara when she heard the engine of a chopper in her driveway. She grabbed her clutch and headed out the door.

"Hey there Belle" Sam said, backing up into her driveway. She hopped on the back of his bike and took the helmet he was handing her before they sped off. There were droves of guys in kuttes and leather jackets and girls in cut jean shorts and tube tops.

She and Sam walked over to where SAMCRO was standing with Platte and Chico. Platte kissed Charlotte on the head and Tig blew Charlotte a kiss then winked. In response she kissed the tips of her fingers then flipped him off. He smiled at her and she smiled back, her burnt red lips parting to expose her sparkling white teeth. With Platte, Sam and Chico there - her family around her again - she felt safe and open to be herself. The group ushered themselves in and crowded around the ring where Tig climbed up into the ring next to Kip.

After the third round of Kip kicking ass Sam and Chico went to bet on him to win. On one of Kip's breaks between fights Tig came and sat down next to Charlotte while she was talking and laughing with Platte. His knee pressed against hers when he sat next to her and he sipped his beer quietly. She placed her hand on his leg absentmindedly, still enthralled in her conversation with Platte. In silent response Tig put his arm on the back of her chair and let his fingers rest softly on her sleeve of her leather jacket. Then, he started rubbing her arm gently. She turned around and smiled at him.

"How about you and me get into that ring" he said quietly "work out some of our shit."

"I wouldn't want to hurt you too bad" she said joking with him.

A leggy raven-haired girl walked passed the two of them and wiggled her fingers, "Hey Tig" she said, smiling.

At this Charlotte reached up and put her palm to Tig's face and pushed him away from her, back toward the ring. "I think your Prospect needs your expert coaching." she said, crossing her arms and turning back to Platte, rolling her eyes at him.

"Listen, Ma Belle" he said, playing with a strand of her hair. "I know your daddy would've wanted you to stay with the Lovers, meet a nice guy - in or out of the club - and settled down." he sighed "But, after what happened to you...then shit you went through in Anniston he would've taken you away himself, joined a different charter, packed up and left." he took her hand, "No one blames you for leaving and half the boys would've followed you if they could." he looked around at the people surrounding the ring "But you have to open yourself to other people. It doesn't have to be these people it doesn't have to be…" he jutted his chin at Tig on the side of the ring, "him. But someone. You're safe the more people you surround yourself with."

"I can take care of myself" she snapped.

"I know" he said quickly, "I know you can Ma Belle but you can't be sure of safety without the numbers."

Clay came up and pat Platte on the back before sitting behind him, next to Cherry just as Kips last fight started. "You know" he said, leaning in between him and Charlotte, "Tig's one of the laziest pricks I know" he looked at Charlotte "and I've never seen him work this hard for anyone or anything." he looked back out at the fight the chuckled, "Hey, maybe it's the fight that makes him work so hard but, somehow, I think it's more than that." He leaned back in his chair, "But what they hell do I know? I've only known him, like, my entire life."

Platte raised his eyebrows at Charlotte and nodding knowingly at her turning his attention back to the fight. Halfway through, after taking a subtle beating, Charlotte saw Kips face change and began to beat the shit out of the Mexican he was fighting.

"HALF-SACK, DON'T!" Clay called to him as SAMCRO on the sidelines were all freaking out. When Tig jumped into the ring, Charlotte got to her feet and walked to the outside of it with Sam who pat Kip on the back jubilantly.

"Why are you so upset?" Charlotte asked Tig over all the yelling.

"He was supposed to throw the last fight" Tig yelled, kicking some of the nearby chairs

"What?!" she asked, appalled "You'd think you could've told any of us!" she yelled "Sam and Chico bet on him!"

"Oh, shit." he said, pulling a face. "I didn't even think of that. Well, at least it worked out for the better for someone." he said, sidling away from her and toward Clay.

Cherry ran over to Charlotte and hugged her, "Clay said I could stay if Kip wants to make me his Old Lady"

Charlotte smiled down at her, "Congratulations, Cherry." She knew that, for a sweet butt, getting approved by the head of a charter was a big deal. Most got passed over as whores who wouldn't be faithful to a brother. She walked out into the parking lot with her arm around Cherry until she saw Kip and ran to give him a congratulatory kiss.

"Belle!" Sam called from his bike, a woman already on the back of it. "I'll see you at SAMCRO" he said and peeled out of the lot.

"Perfect" she said sarcastically, putting her hand on her hip. "Hey!" she called out to Platte and ran over to him. "Take me home?"

"Hop on Ma Belle" he said, "You can stay at SAMCRO for the night, though."

Tig watched as Charlotte road bitch on the back of Platte's motorcycle, her arms wrapped around his waist and punched the door of Clay's van in front of him.

"Hey what the fuck?!" Clay said before getting in the van

"Let's just go" Tig said, slumping down in the passenger seat. He turned around when he heard crying from the back of the van. When he saw Lowell sobbing and shaking on the floor of the van.. He slowly turned his gaze to Clay.

"He's a good mechanic." Clay shrugged and started the engine.

* * *

When they walked into the clubhouse Tig heart skipped a beat when he saw Charlotte kneeling on the couch next to Platte, her heels digging into the arm as she rolled her hips, a beer held over her head causing her shirt to ride up even higher. Cherry was laughing and clapping from Kip's lap adjacent to where Charlotte was dancing.

Clay eyed Charlotte's hips and looked over at Tig who was in a chance. "Good luck with that brother." he said, patting Tig on the back and walking back towards the door, "I'm going home to my wife."

Tig walked further into the clubhouse and saw a skinny addict grinding on Chico's crotch while she rolled her tongue around in his mouth. Sam had his hand down the back of a black girl's whale tail who was sucking on his neck and running her hand up and down his bare chest but he was watching Charlotte and smiling. When he caught Tig's eye he pointed at Charlotte and said, "Tequila gets her _fucked_ up" he chortled

"I'll try and remember that" Tig laughed, moving closer to the couch she was sitting on.

"Not an ounce of Hispanic blood in _Bonita_ " Chico commented "Can't handle her Patron"

"This is true." Charlotte said, getting off the couch. "But I could shoot straight Tennessee bourbon into these here veins." She put an extra twang in her accent as she turned the insides of her arms to face the group.

Platte's smile fell, "That shit ain't funny, Charlotte."

She sat back down next to him and downed another shot of tequila. She looked at Tig with her glassy eyes, staring at him until he looked over at her and she bit her lower lip. He discreetly attempted to adjust his jeans to hide the growth of the bulge in his pants. "I'm gunna.." his mouth went dry when he saw her eyelashes fluttered at him, "I'm gunna go to sleep then."

Charlotte watched as he turned around the bar and walked toward the hallway to the rooms in the back. He stopped before turning the corner to make eye contact with Charlotte again before continuing down the hallway. She grabbed the bottle of tequila by the neck and swiftly followed him to his room, even though she had to try two rooms before finding the right one.

When she opened the door to his room she saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, bent over, his hands clutched together in the light from his bedside lamp. He looked up at her when she snapped the door shut behind her. Charlotte rested the bottle on the closest flat surface she could find and shrugged her leather jacket off, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. Then, she kicked off her shoes causing her to shrink four inches. Still, Tig just stared at her from his seat on the bed, his face set.

She rolled her eyes and moved closer to him, pulling off her shirt slowly as she walked. "C'mon Tig" she said in a sweet, hushed tone. "Isn't this what you wanted? Isn't this what you've hounded me for?" She pulled the bandanna off her head and shook her hair a little bit then dropped to her knees in front of him. When she reached for his belt buckle his hand shot out and grabbed her neck.

"What I want?" he said bitterly, baring his teeth at her and throwing her onto her back against the wall, then knelt down in front of her. "What I want is for you not to pass out halfway through me eating you out before you even cum." he ran his fingers down her arm and onto her stomach then back up to trace the mounds that were exposed over the top of her bra. "What I want is for you to scream for me to stop after after cumming eight consecutive times from me I pounding you from behind instead of passing out like dead weight." he moved the strands of hair out of her face and grabbed her cheeks forcefully. "And, most of all, I want you to not get piss drunk just to stand being around me." He let go of her face in disgust and left her on the floor.

Instead of responding, like she wanted to, she was suddenly struck with a feeling of nausea and go quickly to her feet, covering her mouth until she entered the bathroom off his bedroom and was able to retch into his toilet. He watched her from the door of his bathroom until he snapped and sat down next to her on the bathroom floor and rubbed her exposed back while she retched some more.

They woke up the next morning, lying on the bathroom floor; clutching each other for warmth. She had gotten some vomit on the dirty tee he was wearing under his cut after nuzzling into his chest for comfort. Opie had burst in the door and kicked Tig awake to get him to church. When he saw Charlotte laying on top of him, his cut draped over her bare shoulders he was sure so move slowly and quietly so as not to disturb her as he transferred her from the bathroom floor to his bed, plucking his kutte off of her and putting it back on before leaving with Opie for the meeting.


	9. The Pull

Only a few minutes after Tig left Charlotte was woken up by Gemma. When she saw the Queen sitting on the edge of her bed - _No_ , she thought looking around, _Tig's bed._ \- and realized she was partially dressed she sat up quickly and grabbed what little sheets there were and pulled them close to her, covering her body.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before sweetie" Gemma said, standing up. "I'm going to get some breakfast for the boys." She turned back around to face Charlotte when she reached the door, "Come with me." She walked out of the room and left Charlotte there the scramble out of bed and throw her clothes back on and follow her out into the lot.

Clay saw Charlotte hop past the chapel windows as she tried to get her shoes on while keeping pace with Gemma as they both left the clubhouse.

"So," Gemma said, starting the car. "You fucking Tigger?"

Charlotte was taken aback but answered honestly, "No ma'am" she said, pushing her sunglasses on over her eyes.

"No?" she asked, amused "By now Tig would've have bent in all godly directions and kicked you to the curb." Charlotte shifted uncomfortably in the passenger's seat; Gemma smiled over at her. "He must really like you then."

Charlotte shrugged in response then said, after a minute, "That statement doesn't exactly sing the highest of praises."

"Listen, darlin'" Gemma said, killing the engine after pulling in front of a small deli and pushing the door open. "Tig may be a sick son of a bitch but he's nothing if not fiercely loyal and passionate. His actions may reflect those of a rabid dog's but the truth is he's just a well trained guard dog."

"Good analogy" Charlotte said, holding the door open for Gemma to walk through. "I'm sure you'll agree, though, that there are plenty of good soldiers in this business." she smiled at the teenaged clerk behind the counter and he turned away from the two of them quickly so as not to appear to be eavesdropping. "But just because they're a good soldier doesn't mean that they're good to everyone just because they're good for their cause."

After glancing at Charlotte and smiling at her for a second, Gemma replied, "Fair enough. But let me tell you, if Tigger's picked you as his cause he will be" she leaned closer to Charlotte, "sooo good to you." She winked before turning to place the order for the club.

When they pulled back onto the lot Charlotte scooped up one of the large, brimming paper bags and got out of the car.

"Hey!" Gemma called to her from the drivers window, holding the other bag out to her, "I gotta go see my grandson at the hospital, take this inside." Charlotte trotted back and took the bag from Gemma's hands then said goodbye.

When she entered the clubhouse she rushed to put the bags on the bar so the boys could get to them when they got out of church. In the meantime she tapped the girls laying on top of Chico and Sam and ushered them out the door, causing both men to stir.

"Hey breakfast!" Charlotte heard Bobby cry happily after exiting the meeting room "Did you do this, girlie?" he asked her

"No, Gem-" she began but Clay cut her off but putting his hand on her arm and shaking his head

"This is great!" he agreed, swarming to the bags with the rest of the men.

Tig just walked right past her, refusing to look at her and grabbed a bagel from the bar. on his way back past her he said cooly, "Maybe you should go home. You smell like vomit." He knocked into her and walked back down the hallway into his bedroom.

She turned around quickly and walked over to Sam who's legs she then kicked from their spot on the couch. "Take me home" she said venomously, walking out the door before he had a chance to sit up. He dragged himself off the couch, pulling his pants up and buckling them. He straddled his bike and pulled out of the lot with her on the back.

* * *

She said nothing to him when they got to her house she just got off the bike, ran inside and closed the door. The first thing she did was strip as she walked up the stairs and got into a shower, washing the makeup from her face and letting the hot water beat down on her chest and throat. When the water started to go cold she promptly turned it off and exited the shower, wrapping a long towel around her body. She tried her best to keep Alcatraz at bay from her air drying body but, as usual, that didn't work. She spent the rest of the day curled up on the couch doing paperwork and updating her case files. She didn't even realize it had gotten dark until her cellphone started ringing and she looked around for the first time.

"Hey Pla-"

"Come back to the clubhouse" he said urgently, "Now."

"I really don't think I'm welcome there" she said briskly

"Now." He repeated and hung up the phone.

She threw her glasses onto her paper work and ran upstairs to grab a pair of sweatpants to pull on over her Soffe shorts and a black zip up to go over her exposed sports bra. When she was in her car she flicked the headlights on, and sped out of her driveway and toward the clubhouse. She and Gemma pulled into the lot at the same time.

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked, walking in stride with her.

Gemma just shook her head worriedly and kept walking. "Stay here" she said when they got into the clubhouse.

Charlotte walked over to where Platte, Chico and Sam were huddled and hugged all three of them tightly before asking, "If the three of you are alright, why did you summon me here?"

"They drove up in an ambulance, Belle" Chico explained, "Someone in there screaming bloody murder."

"Why in the world do they have an ambulance?" she asked, confunded.

"Half-Sack stole it." said a voice behind her. She turned around and saw Tig, standing in the doorway of the clubhouse. He looked her up and down from his place in the door, adrenaline from the shooting still pounding in his head and she saw anger flare in his eyes as he sauntered closer to her.

She hadn't been so worried that he was hurt somehow but even still she said, "You're okay." smiling at him.

He quickened his pace toward her then grabbed her by the waist and slammed her into the wall, pressing his body against hers and kissing her deeply, his hands on either side of her face. She kissed him back roughly before his head was pulled away from hers by Platte, who was holding a handful of Tig's hair. Tig held his hands up in surrender and let Charlotte fall to the ground.

"Choose a better place, man." Platte growled protectively

"Preferably without an audience." spat Sam.

The three left when Gemma entered the clubhouse looking much calmer than she had been when Charlotte spoke to her on the lot. "You" she said, authoritatively pointing at Charlotte. "You need to be here tomorrow. We gotta put out a spread!" she kept walking through the clubhouse toward Clay's bedroom

"Yes ma'am." Charlotte replied before Gemma closed the door behind her.

When they were alone on the clubhouse floor Charlotte looked up into Tig's face, who was looking back at her hungrily. The momentary tension created by their connected gazes snapped and Charlotte hoisted her lips to Tig's by pulling on his neck and standing on her toes. He picked her up again, this time taking her ass in both his hands and began walking with her to his bedroom. He dug his fingers into her ass cheeks, burrowing into the thick fabric of her sweatpants. When he did this she let out a high-pitched moan that was somewhere between an, "Oh!" and an "Ow!" The walk from the clubhouse to his bedroom took much longer than necessary because he was continuously stopping to lean her into a wall and ferociously kiss her, run his tongue up her neck and suck on whatever patch of exposed skin was closest. Finally he kicked the door of his bedroom open, so hard that it bounced off the wall behind it and clipped Charlotte in the arm before he kicked it shut behind him and threw her on the bed.

The first thing he took off was his kutte and threw it over the back of a chair. Charlotte got on her knees on the bed and stared at him while she unzipped her sweatshirt and threw it onto the floor. Tig reached down and flipped the latch on his belt buckle, unweaving it from his belt loops. He doubled the belt in his hand and crawled onto the bed in front of her running the belt gently across her sides before grabbing the waistband of her sweatpants and shorts and yanked them down to her knees. He grabbed the back of her neck and forced her face into the mattress, pulling her now bare ass closer to him before bringing the hand with the belt in it down hard on her left cheek.

She screamed in pain, opening her mouth into the sheets and balling the rest in her hands. He threw his belt to the side then turned her over and pulled her pants completely off. She sat up quickly and pulled his shirts off over his head before kissing him again. She trailed her mouth down his body then bit down, hard, on his nipple. He pushed her face away from his body when she released him from her teeth then shoved her back onto the bed by her shoulders. While he was unbuttoning his pants she pulled her sports bra off over her head, revealing the nude, lace bra underneath. Tig stood next to the bed, his jeans on the floor around his ankles and stared at her in the little bit of moonlight that was shining on his bed. Her skin was almost reflective in the pale light and her green eyes still sparkled in shadow.

The tension was building between them again with their eyes locking on each other, trying to study one another's bodies as much as they could in this light. Charlotte got to her knees in front of him again and reached around her back to unhook her bra. Tig's breath became shallow with anticipation while he waited for her to shed the lace standing between him and her firm, bulging, C cups. In order to get the straps off her shoulders she squeezed her breasts together with her arms, the straps slipping down her silky arms. The fabric fell to the bed beneath her and Tig reached out to grab her right breast, he cupped it gently in his hand. Charlotte bit her lip and let her head fall back on her neck, puffing her breasts out closer to him and he squeezed harder, digging his nails into the soft flesh beneath his fingers. She brought her head back to face him then reached down to pull his boxers to see the beast that was poking against the thin fabric confining it. When they slid to the floor Charlotte took his penis in her hand and wrapped her fingers tightly around it. Tig bit his lower lip and pulled her face into his crotch, sliding his fully erect and throbbing penis into her mouth,almost down her throat and holding it there with his hand on the back of her head. She scratched his upper thighs when she could no longer breathe and started gagging. He let go of her head and she fell backward onto her elbows, coughing and taking deep breaths.

Without warning her grabbed her ankles and dragged her across the bed until her ass cheeks were almost at the end then plunged his face into her dripping pussy.

"Ah!" she exclaimed with pleasure and squeezed his face between her thighs.

He consumed her juices as though she was dripping pure water and he had just returned from the Sahara. He listened to Charlotte's alternating moans and screams of pleasure and waited until they were high-pitched and close together before shoving two fingers inside her tightening pussy causing her to scream in pain as he scraped her walls with his nails, roving around looking for her G-spot. When he found the fleshy soft spot he jabbed his fingers into it, applying pressure on her pleasure center roughly before beginning to move his, now soaked, fingers in and out of her quickly, his tongue still rolling her hard clit around his mouth. She had tightened so much around him that it was hard for him to continue pulling his fingers out of her so he left them inside her and just tickled her g-spot with them. He reached his other hand up to her heaving, exposed breasts and pinched her nipples causing her to call out in pain and kick his ear. He softened his grasp on her mounds and instead massaged them roughly.

Charlotte reached down and tangled her fingers into a chunk of his hair when she felt herself starting to cum. Her back arched and her eyes rolled back while she continued screaming his name. "Alex...yes, YES!" the screamed, finally and fell limp on the bed. Tig grabbed her arm and rolled her almost lifeless body over on the bed so her pale, round ass was completely exposed to him.

His eyes flashed at the sight of her smooth ass and he ran his calloused hand over the creamy skin before pulling his hand back and slapping her with it. In her exhaustion she was only able to muster a small squeal of pain. That wasn't enough for Tig, though. He bent down and bit her, his teeth breaking the supple skin in his mouth until it was full of her blood. This warranted a more acceptable response as she shivered and jerked underneath him. He sat back up and slapped her ass again, harder, right on the bite. This time the scream that issued from her made goosebumps erupt on the back of his neck. He took his long, hard member in his hand and gave it a couple of tugs before grabbing Charlotte by the hips and pulling her backside closer to his dick. She turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. When he saw her do this he pushed her sweaty, matted hair out of her eyes so she could see him better. With her eyes on him he thrust himself into her full force. She winced in pain but opened her eyes again to look back at him.

At this angle, the slight curvature of his dick, inside her from behind stimulated her G-spot more d, when she was wet again, she started moaning as well. Whenever the pleasure started building within her too quickly Tig dug his finger into the bleeding bite he had left so that she would wince and then continue moaning from her moving quickly inside her. His hips were bucking against her quickly as the warm pleasure he was experiencing from her wet cave expanding and contracting around him. All of a sudden he grabbed her elbows and brought them together behind her back and pulled her torso closer to his.

"Alex" she whispered warily, worried that her shoulder would be dislocated from him pulling her torso toward him while his hips pushed hers away from him with each thrust. He let go of her arms and grasped her neck loosely instead he let his hand trail down from her throat and stopped at the breast, holding one in each hand while she bounced up and down on his dick.

Growing tired, he rested his sweating head on her back and ran his open mouth over her smooth skin, nipping at her here and there. He fell forward and braced himself against the headboard of his bed, holding Charlotte closely to him by her stomach. She reached her hand back to his face and ran her fingers over his stubbled and pockmarked cheek.

At the feel of her, long, hot fingers on his cheek he moaned for the first time that night and breathed her name into her ear. She shuddered in his arms at the sound of her name escaping from his mouth. In response to this Tig shoved her face down into the mattress again, getting his second wind and ramming himself against her inner walls. He closed his eyes and turned his head towards the ceiling, moaning loudly. "Fuck!" he yelled, loudly, ramming into her and pausing to catch his breath and take control over his climax. He wasn't ready to let her go to sleep quite yet. He closed his eyes and focused on the throbbing of his cock inside her and tried to slow his breathing.

Charlotte, however, had different plans. She started moving her hips in a figure eight against his and tightened around him in a rhythmic pattern. "Stop" he gasped, slapping her ass again. She just looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "Fuck" he said softly, squeezing his eyes shut. Charlotte took this opportunity to jut his hips away from her, his soaked cock falling out of her pussy. She rolled over quickly and turned to face Tig, pressing her hand against his pectoral and easing him into the bed, laying him on his back underneath her. Then she lowered herself onto him, sliding his dick back inside her and rocking back and forth on top of him, her hips moving independently from the rest of her body.

"Ohhhh" he moaned underneath her, "Fuck." he started bouncing his hips into her, using the springs in his mattress to send him straight up into her.

"Ha." she gasped, rolling her head around on her neck; her body starting to tingle with fire as another orgasm welled inside her, "Yes...yes...yes!" she said, her words growing louder as she squeezed tighter around him. "Cum with me." she said softly, looking down at him through her eyelashes. He nodded slowly and thrust up into her violently over and over, raking his finger down her back until her moans grew louder and she yelled his name at her climax. He held her up as best he could while he thrust some more and finished inside her pulsating pussy. He let go of her and she collapsed on top of him, both of them twitching in ecstasy together.

She rolled off of him and wobbled to her feet in order to make her way to the bathroom and relieve herself before returning to bed and passing out on Tig's chest.

* * *

An hour or two later Charlotte jolted awake to find herself in the bed alone. She pulled the sheets on the bed around her and stepped out into the hallway. She walked down it and stopped in from of the meeting room where Tig and Opie were unloading and assembling firearms on the redwood table. Tig looked up and did a double take when he saw her, wrapped in his black sheet, her milky leg sticking out of it.

"Hey." he said softly, smiling at her.

"Hi." she said, resting her head in the doorway and smiling back at him. "Come back to bed." she suggested lightly, "Soon?" she winked at Opie and headed back down the hallway to Tig's bedroom.

Opie watched her leave in disbelief. "She wants more of that?!" he asked, astounded. "It sounded like you were murdering her."

Tig shrugged and said, "What can I say?"

"Marry her." Opie said firmly and went back to working on the guns.


	10. Hell Followed

Charlotte stirred when the morning light burst through Tig's window and warmed her skin. When the room came into focus she looked over her shoulder at Tig's naked body next to hers. After moving noiselessly off the bed she pulled on her shorts and slipped into her sweatshirt, zipping it all the way up to the base of her throat over her naked body, not bothering to put on a bra, then left his bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Good morning." she whispered to Gemma who was sitting at the bar, her head in her hands before turning into the kitchen and pour herself a cup of coffee and going back out to the bar to keep her company.

When she settled onto the barstool next to Gemma, wincing in pain as her tender ass pressed against the hard wood of the stool, Gem turned to her, "Your boys volunteered to get us the groceries we'd need for the crew." she said

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked, concernedly

Gemma sighed, "War, sweetie. Clay's called all the chapters within a days drive for a meeting."

"Shit." Charlotte said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Just then the door opened and Hell's Lovers came in with armfuls of groceries. They smiled at the women sitting at the bar but walked past them to deposit the groceries in the kitchen. When they came back out Platte embraced Charlotte and kissed her temple. He looked at her when he pulled back, still keeping his arms around her and smiled sadly. "We gotta go Ma Belle" he said

"I know" she nodded solemnly

"Between the Mayans coming after Clay last night and rumors that ATF is in town…"

"ATF?" she asked, panicked, looking around at Gemma

"It's a non-issue." Platte interjected, "It's just, we gotta go."

"Yeah" Charlotte breathed, understandingly then hopped down off her bar stool to give them all farewell hugs.

She walked with them out into the lot to say goodbye. After mounting his bike, Platte turned to Charlotte and said, "You know, I talked to Clay a little bit last night. I just wanted you to know we're happy to form an open alliance with SAMCRO, get a little bi-coastal brotherhood going." he glanced at her over his sunglasses. "But that, little lady, is entirely up to you." She smiled and waved from outside the clubhouse as they all peeled out.

When she walked back in she saw Tig going into the meeting room and saw a glimpse of a screaming, bleeding man lying on the redwood table.

"What on God's green earth?!" she exclaimed, running up next to Gemma and looking into the room.

"That's what they got back from last night." Gemma said, "Didn't Tig tell you?" Charlotte shook her head, "They were shot at."

"Shot at? When Platte said someone was screaming in an ambulance I just thought someone spun out on the road or something." Tig exited the meeting room behind Clay. "You neglected to tell me that you were shot at last night?!" she shouted at him.

"We didn't really talk much at all last night." he said reaching down and wrapping his arms around her waist and bit her on the neck then kissed it.

"Asshole" she said, punching him in the chest and walking back to her coffee. When she turned her back to him and he instinctively glanced down at her ass he saw that the whole back of her thigh was stained red with blood. He ran up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and walked her past her coffee and back into his room. "Hey, Alex come on I'm so tired and sore." she moaned as he pulled her shorts back off and bent her over his bed.

"You're covered in blood." he said, pressing his fingers into the bite mark left over from last night. He slapped her ass right below the bite mark. "Get in the shower before people think you don't know how to plug up your gash."

"Don't be crude and misogynist." Charlotte said, pushing past him and heading into the bathroom, letting her sweatshirt slide off her shoulders and onto the floor. He stared at her back where he had left scratch marks and hickies.

He followed her into the bathroom and sat on the can to watch her climb into the tub. When she reached to close the shower curtain, not having realized he followed her in he said, "Leave it open."

"You gunna join me?" she asked sweetly. Tig just stared at her, his eyes dark, sending chills up her spine until she finally turned the water on. At first she just pretended like he wasn't there and just focused on cleaning the bite on her ass and the combination of cum and saliva from between her legs. She noticed him lean forward on the toilet when she put her hands between her legs to rub them with soap. She smiled and tilted her head back into the steady stream of water letting the heat sink into her temples while dragging the bar of soap up her flat stomach and in between her breasts before running it slowly over each of them, leaving a trail of thick bubbles to cascade down over her nipples and track down her stomach and thighs before disappearing down the drain. "Mmmm…" she moaned quietly, letting the bar of soap fall to the shower floor and grasping her breasts with both hand. Tig licked his lower lip staring at her, trying not to miss one detail so his Spank Bank would be full of an HD memory of her in this moment. She bent down slowly to pick up the soap she dropped, turning her ass to him and looking over her shoulder, running her hand up her leg as she stood back up. She brought her fingers up to her mouth and sucked on them before running them against the bare lips of her pussy.

"Oh man" he said, finally, rubbing his face with his hands and sitting on the edge of his seat close to her. When he focused on her again, her right leg was propped up; her foot on the edge of the tub and her fingers inside her. She made sure to cover the marks on her left inner thigh from his view while her legs were spread and she was fingering herself. With her right hand, she grabbed her breasts and played with the nipples, gasping; her cheeks growing hot from the ecstasy welling inside her. She arched her back against the tiled walls of the shower and sucked a breath in through her teeth but didn't remove her fingers from between her legs. She decided to turn around and show him her backside, pressing her face and breasts into the tile now and continuing to rub her hot, wet clit occasionally dipping her fingers into the well of wetness that was her vagina.

After mere seconds of her rear exposed to him the prospect opened Tig's bedroom door and called his name. Instead of responding Tig got off his perch on the toilet and punched Kip in the face before slamming the bathroom door on him. "Don't stop." he croaked, running his knuckles down her back, covered in water droplets cascading down her skin.

At his touch she turned around and slapped his hand away from her. "Look" she snapped, "don't touch." He obediently sat back down and set his eyes to devour every aspect of this steamy scene. Her moans grew louder the closer she got to climax but were tame compared to the noises she made last night. When she came, she fell limply onto the side of the tub and caught her breath. When her legs no longer felt like jell-o she stood up and started rubbing her body down quickly one last time before she turned off the water and stepped out onto the ragged towel lying on the floor at the foot of the tub. She winked playfully at him and opened the door to his bedroom, looking down at the unconscious prospect and stepping over him.

Tig was able to stand up when the blood was distributed back to his brain where it belonged and waited by the door to his room while Charlotte got dressed, putting her two bras and the sweatshirt back on with her shorts from last night. When she was fully clothed he swung the door open and led her back into the clubhouse where Gemma and Clay were talking.

"Hey," Tig called across the floor to Cherry, "go pick your nosy pervert boyfriend off my floor." She looked at him, perplexed, "Go, now, go." he said impatiently.

A buzzer sounded from a speaker next to the TV above the bar. Gemma and Charlotte turned their attention to it. "Unser" Gemma said, "Back door."

"Keep him quiet" Tig said, warningly to Chibs and Juice in the room with the gunshot victim before closing the door on the three of them.

Sheriff Unser entered, and looked around the room warily, his gaze falling on Charlotte, "Who the fuck are you?" he asked, paranoid.

"Don't worry about it." Tig said, glaring down at the old man with his arms crossed.

"Don't worry about it? You tell me to 'don't worry about it' when I've never laid eyes on this girl in my damn life?!" he began to go into hysterics.

"Listen-" Tig began, pointing his finger at Unser.

"No," Charlotte cut in, "He's right." She looked at Gemma and said, "I'm gunna go work on some of the food in the kitchen" Gemma smiled and nodded before Charlotte hopped down off the bar stool she had been sitting on and snapped the door shut behind her when she was in the kitchen.

She turned her ears off and kept her head down while she peeled and chopped potatoes until she heard Tig shout, "Gem, wait. Gem! I'll be right out." he stuck his head into the kitchen. "Hey," he said, walking toward her. "Get me your keys I'm going to try and swing by your place and get you some clothes."

"Oh, don't worry about that." she said, drying her hands off on the nearest towel "I can go myself."

"No." he snapped. "I got shit coming out of my ears and I would really appreciate it if I didn't have to worry about you out there on top of it."

"What you worryin' about lil' ol' me for?" she asked, her accent stretched into a caricature of itself as he bat her eyelashes at him

"Just...don't" he said, narrowing his eyes and taking her keys off the bar before walking out the door.

She rolled her eyes at the back of his head and went back to cooking. Jax and Gemma came bursting into the clubhouse without Tig and they were arguing. Again, she kept her ears closed and head down until Jax asked the question she had asked herself when they first walked in: "Where the hell did Tig go?!" he spat angrily at his mother, "He was right behind us"

Charlotte stuck her head out of the kitchen door curiously and waited for Gemma's answer. Gemma saw her and smiled, "He made sure we got back then went to your house." she said, answering Charlotte's unasked question as opposed to her son's. "What are you even doing in there, hun?" Gemma asked Charlotte, amused.

"Cutting potatoes" she replied, shrugging.

"Oh shit" Gemma responded, putting her hand to her head. "I gotta get some of the girls out here to help before they all get here." She walked away and started dialing her phone.

"Where the hell 'ave you been?" Chibs asked, advancing toward Jax with his arms open and pulled him into an embrace then removed the medical bag from his hands and whispered something to him.

"Okay." Jax said defeatedly and pat his brother on the back.

"Where are you going?" Gemma called to her son, holding her hand over the speaker on her phone before he went back out the door.

"To find a doctor" he said.

"Don't go alone" she said.

"I'll go with him." Opie said, hidden in the doorway. As the two young men exited the club Tig walked back through the doors with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder which he removed and tossed at Charlotte.

"Jesus Tig" Gemma said, hanging up the phone. "She got her own drawer too?"

Tig ignored her goading him and knelt over to whisper to Charlotte, "I couldn't help but pick some things I want to see you in...maybe later tonight?"

"Maybe" she replied playfully, slinging the bag over her shoulder and taking it with her into his bedroom to change.

* * *

That night, after Clay was released from questioning and the club had voted on their alliance with the Mayans Charlotte exited the clubhouse and walked out into the yard with two beers in her hands. Tig did a double take when he saw her in a black, low cut Gypsy romper with a white trim and the red lace bra he had picked from her house specifically for her to wear for him tonight. Her hair was pulled into a high, sleek ponytail on the top of her head that exposed her long, hickie covered neck.

He stood up straight then she walked up next to him and handed him a beer. He put it down immediately and yanked her toward him and kissed her on one of the hickies he had left the night before in front of a slew of Sons from other charters.

She elbowed him in the ribs and whispered through her teeth, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Making sure no one in this building touches you tonight." he grabbed her by the ponytail and pulled her head back to bare her neck to him, "Except for me." He swooped down and kissed each of her welts forcefully.

"Ow" she growled unhappily, noticing the eyes on her with knowing smiles on their faces. She quickly squirmed free of him, picked up her beer and walked over to stand with Cherry.

After sharing a few beers together with Cherry and some croweaters they started dancing around one of the empty oil drum fire pits to the music coming from the speakers outside the clubhouse. Through the smoke she raised her eyes to where Tig was standing, propped up against a wall so he could see her while still talking to Opie and Chibs. When he finally noticed she was looking at him she waved him over to dance with her. Without even so much as an "Excuse me" to Opie or Chibs he dropped his beer and went over to her.

She pulled him close and draped an arm around his neck while she grinded her hips against his. She then turned around and dropped slowly to the ground, her ass rubbing down the length of Tig's lower extremities and her hand, drifting from its place around his neck to rub his chest through his shirt. He looked down the front of her revealing outfit and moaned softly when he saw her breasts straining against the red lace confining them.

Charlotte was slowly on her way back up to face him when a sweet butt vomited into the lap of a Son a few feet away from her. She watched as the Son, disgusted, threw the girl to the floor and kicked her in the back of the legs.

Charlotte scrambled over to the girl frantically, "What do you think you're doing?" she screamed at the Son who towered over the two of them while she helped the girl up. Tig jogged over to the scene after her but said nothing.

"She just yakked on me!" he screamed back at her.

"Well what do you expect is going to happen when you force her to drink fifteen shots after she had only been nursing a beer the whole night?!" Charlotte was holding onto the girl tightly, trying not to let her collapse to the floor.

"She wants to be a croweater she's gotta have a stronger stomach than that!" he spat.

"Okay," she began sweetly, "I suppose it makes sense that a big guy like you who's clearly after a spinner demand that she also be able to drink twice her weight in booze." she dropped the sweetness in her voice, "Get over yourself."

"'Chu say to me?" he asked advancing toward her, his hand twitching.

At this Tig stepped in between the two of them and put his hand firmly against his brother's chest, "Why don't you go and get cleaned up." he said warningly

"You better adjust the setting on your Old Lady's mouth" he called after Tig who had turned to help Charlotte get the young girl into the clubhouse.

"Excuse m-!" Charlotte began to turn around, leaving Tig to hold the unconscious girl before Jax came up beside her and started guiding her away, into the clubhouse behind them.

Tig had laid the girl in a chair for her to sleep it off until the morning when Jax came in, leading Charlotte gently into the clubhouse with her arm in his hand. "I'm pretty sure she was about to punch Kozik out there." Jax laughed

"Oh really?" Tig said, smiling at her. "Thanks man" he said to Jax, nodding at him in dismissal. When they were alone aside from the snoring croweater on the chair behind him Tig ran his hands against her body, underneath the deep slit in her romper and to her ass where he felt lace underneath his touch. "I see you're wearing a matching set." he said, plucking one of her bra strings.

Charlotte just smiled, took his hand and led him back to his bedroom. When she closed the door behind them the last thing she remembered was her romper being ripped off her body and the euphoric sensations of his touch against her skin all night.


	11. Better Half

Every night since then, Charlotte had been sleeping at the clubhouse. She woke up early to make up for the time it took for her to get to her work in Stockland but, even though the boys never saw her in the morning, they knew that she had been there based on the increased cleanliness of his room and consistent smile Tig walked into Chapel with...not to mention the sounds coming from Tig's room at night.

On a Saturday morning she woke up not being able to feel her fingers with her hand extended over her head, handcuffed to the bedpost. She groaned as the joints in her stiff arm cracked, sitting up against the wrought iron headboard to adjust her circulation. She looked around the sunlit room then her gaze travelled up the bed, over Tig's still body; face down in the sheets.

She shook her hair out of her head and pulled the sheets up to cover the scar on her inner thigh before going to wake Tigger up. She had demanded that the lights be off whenever they were engaged under the pretense that 'It was more mysterious that way' because she wasn't ready to talk about it. When she thought about having to one day it made her stomach lurch and want to be physically ill.

 _That's a long way off,_ she told herself then, to take her mind off it, she kicked Tig hard in the spleen to wake him up.

"AHG!" he screamed, rolling off the bed onto the floor. "What the fuck do you want you crazy bitch?" he sat up, his elbows on the bed

She shook her hand in the cuff, making it jangle loudly in response.

He just smiled impishly at her from the floor.

"Aw come on baby I can't feel my hand!" she said, defeatedly falling limp against the wall.

At this he clamored onto the bed and plucked the key off his bed-stand then unlocked the cuff. He rested his shoulder against the wall, his elbow on his pillow and took her hand in his and rubbed it roughly to stimulate the blood flow. "That better?" he asked through a yawn

"Yes darlin' thank you" she said, kissing him on the head. He laced his fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand. Her head fell back on the wall and she closed her eyes again. "Can we go back to sleep?" she groaned

As though through divine intervention the knock that came from the other side of his closed door answered her question. She pulled the sheets up over her whole body and wrinkled her nose at him before he rolled out of bed and into a pair of boxers and jeans to go open the door.

"Clay just got a call" Chibs said

"What'sa matter?" Tig asked, leaving the door ajar in order to continue talking to Chibs while her grabbed some clothes off the ground to throw on.

Chibs shot a glance at Charlotte who flipped her hair and stared back at him, "They raided Luann's studio" he said, finally. "Got her on possession."

"Oh shit" Tig said, scooping up his kutte and moving toward the door urgently before doubling back to kiss Charlotte before leaving the room.

This act made Charlotte giggle and bite her lower lip. She looked around again before getting up and picking up the rest of the clothes scattered around the room and throwing them into a laundry basket she had bought for Tig. While she was making his bed she thought about the last time it had been like this for her. Taking care of another person on a deep, personal level, someone else sharing the responsibility of worry she had; someone she felt safe-ish with. Her meetings were down to one a week and she hadn't cut herself since she left Alabama. Things were good, her life was almost just like everyone else's.

After a shower and putting some new clothes on she rested the laundry basket on her hip and walked down the hallway just as the men were coming out of the Chapel.

Tig walked up to her, his face sullen, rubbing the back of his head. "Everything alright?" she asked, brushing a speck out of his facial hair.

"ATF is back...picked up Luann for intent to distribute."

"What does ATF want with Luann?" she asked, "And, drugs? They're not Vice."

"Not sure," he said, shrugging "But I don't have a good feeling about this."

She nodded and shook her hair out of her face, "Anything I can do?"

He looked down at his clothes in the basket and smiled, "Nah," he said "I think you're doing enough for now"

* * *

After filling two machines at the laundromat with the clothes - separated by color - she left the basket on top of them and headed out to the coffee shop across the street. Before she was able to cross she saw Cherry get handcuffed outside the grocery store. Charlotte ran over there as fast as she could, looking around when she got to the front of the store when she saw Gemma inside talking to a tall redhead in a black suit.

"Gemma, what the fuck?!" she said walking over to her, and putting her hand on Gem's arm reassuringly

"Oh" the redhead said in a hushed tone, "Charlotte Harris, right?"

"Excuse me?" Charlotte said, turning to her in time to see her pull handcuffs out of her back pocket.

"Agent Stahl." the women said, flashing the badge attached to her hip; grabbing Charlotte's arms and cuffing them behind her back. "Two croweaters, one stone" she smirked at Gemma over her shoulder

"On what fricken charges!" Charlotte screamed, surprised

"I'm not sure if your little Lovers told you when they were here." Detective Stahl hissed in her ear, walking Charlotte out of the store, leaving Gemma to stand in the aisle, cursing. "but there's a new sheriff in Anniston...and he's been looking for you."

 _Shit,_ Charlotte thought but kept her mouth shut, letting the Fed guide her into the backseat of her car while she was read her rights.

When they got to the station she sat in a cell while Stahl took Cherry into a room. She was alert, looking all over the little she could see of the station. She saw Chief Unsen walk past the hallway her cellblock was down next to Luann's and she stood up quickly, making eye contact with him. Unsen cursed silently when he saw her and walked out the station's doors.

* * *

When he entered the clubhouse minutes later he was ushered into the chapel with the rest of SAMCRO.

"They've got Luann on possession and Cherry for grand theft and arson." Clay informed the group when everyone had taken their seats.

"They've also got the little blonde one" Unsen spoke up over the muttering of disbelief that filled the room.

Tig sat forward in his chair quickly, "On what?!" he asked, enraged.

Unsen didn't make eye contact with him when he responded, "She's a possible murder suspect in Alabama."

His eye widened alarmingly "What the fuck" he said, running his fingers through his hair and falling back into his chair.

"That chick?!" Juice interjected, "No way she killed anybody."

"No way, man" Bobby agreed, while Chibs pat Tig on the back.

"They keep the girls' locked up overnight?" Jax asked, peeling his eyes away from a shocked Tiger.

"Yeah." Unsen replied.

"You still got your keys?"

Tig sat up in his chair again, "You gotta get me in there."

"No" Clay said, firmly. Tig got up and started pacing. "What are you thinking?" he asked Jax

They planned to break into the jail and tell Luann about the RICO charges and see where both Charlotte and Candy "were" on talking to the Feds.

"There's no way Charlie's gunna rat." Tig shouted when that was said, "She doesn't even know anything!"

"She saw Cameron too." Jax said

"She's basically a member of Hell's Lovers" Tig said combatantly

"Yeah, well" Jax said snidely, "I guess we'll just have to see who she's more loyal to: the MC she killed for in Alabama or the guy she's fucking."

Tig dove at Jax but Clay grabbed him by the shirt collar and held him against the wall until his breathing evened out and Tig let him know that he was good.

* * *

Charlotte was led into the interview room that Cherry was being led out of. Charlotte looked at Cherry, who made the tiniest of shakes with her head to let Charlotte know she didn't say anything. The look on her face still worried Charlotte.

She sat in a metal chair, alone in the room for a few minutes before Agent Stahl came in, carrying a stack of files and a cup of coffee. Charlotte saw right through the fake, simpering smile Stahl was giving her but smiled back anyway.

"Wow" Stahl said when she put down her stack of papers and opened the top file. Charlotte glanced at it and when she saw the picture in the file she looked back up to Stahl quickly, her expression stony. "After what you went through" Stahl continued, pushing the file toward Charlotte, who avoided looking at it. "I'm not surprised you left sleepy, old Anniston." Charlotte said nothing. "This little girl." Stahl picked the picture up out of the file, "That's what you look like anyway - she looks like a ghost of a person." She held the picture right up to Charlotte's eyes, forcing her to look at it. It was Charlotte, seven years earlier after she had been pulled out of the basement she was sure she was going to die in for three days. In the picture her scalp had been bloody and her green eyes were obscured by her puffed up, red, broken cheekbones; her lip split open and a green bruise on her jaw that was hanging askew. Despite the screaming she heard in her head that she wanted to let out she smirked at Stahl and narrowed her eyes. Stahl put the picture back on the table. "With all the heroin they found in your system I'm surprised a tiny little thing like you didn't die...too" she slowly slid another picture out of the file and into Charlotte's sight line

"What the fuck does this have to do with anything" Charlotte yelled wildly, pushing the picture of her younger sister's broken, lifeless, little brown body off the table and onto the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Stahl said, feigning sympathy and touching Charlotte's hand. Charlotte withdrew it immediately. "I just wanted to let you know...I don't blame you for killing him, I probably would've done the same." She opened another file and exposed a picture of a dead body painted almost completely red with blood. "Right down to the dismemberment." she closed the file. "Nice touch." Stahl winked at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Charlotte said, laughing and shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh, no," Stahl said, winking at her and smiling as though Charlotte were speaking code to her, "Of course not. But this new sheriff down in Anniston thinks you do so when I was looking into SAMCRO and I called him to talk about your sad, sad past he let me know that one of his first priorities as new chief was to get a warrant out for you and asked me to hold you for extradition." Stahl sighed "But...I have noticed you've been spending a lot of time with SAMCRO and I thought, I scratch your back; you scratch mine...you don't deserve to go down for this." she put her fingers on the closed file with the bloody pictures in it. "That sadistic bastard had it coming."

Charlotte burst into tears and hid her head in her hands while tears and spittle dripped onto the table. "Can-I-have-my-phone-call?" she asked frantically between sobs, making sure to say it loud enough so the people outside could hear her.

"Oh that's not really necessary, sweetheart" Stahl said patting Charlotte on the hand

"I want-my-PHONE CALL!" she screamed, still crying, and threw a chair into the double-sided mirror where it just bounced off. People outside were looking in now as Charlotte continued to sob saying, "I-can't-do-hard-tiiiiime"

"Oh honey, honey of course!" Stahl said looking at the people staring in and standing up from the table and leaving to get her a phone. She rushed back in quickly, holding a cordless landline phone and handing it to her.

Charlotte took it and when the door closed with Stahl on the other side of it she stopped crying instantly and blotted her tear stained face. As the eldest daughter of an overprotective biker father she had always been able to turn on the waterworks but it was her rage at being detained and genuine, unsettled sadness from seeing those pictures that made this act so convincing.

"'Lo" someone said on the other side

"Get me Platte or Sam, now." she said, her tone even

"Sammy Boy!" the man called into the background

"Hello" Sam said.

"Sam, it's Charlotte"

"Belle! Hey!" he said happily "What's-"

"Sam, ATF picked me up to rat on SAMCRO. This bitch says the new sheriff has been looking under stones and wants me back for…"

"Newman" he whispered

"Exactly" she said, "Can you-?"

"No problem, Belle" he said quickly "We'll handle this, no problem."

"Thanks Sammy, love you" she said finally and he hung up the phone.

When Stahl saw the phone was on the table she came back in. "Now," she said, not looking at Charlotte but at the blank pad in her hands, ready to write. "What can you tell me to help me keep you out of Anniston."

"To start filling out that extradition paperwork." Charlotte said, brightly.

Stahl's head snapped up to her, "Wha-?" she began

"I'd like to go back to my holding cell now." Charlotte interjected, standing up from the table and walking to the officer outside the door and smirking as he led her back to her cell, leaving Stahl standing dumbfounded in the room.

When she entered the three cell room Cherry stood up from her seat quickly and Charlotte winked at her then nodded at Luann who breathed a sigh or relief. After the cell door clanged shut behind her and the officer left their pod she put her face between the bars and looked across at Cherry. "What do they have?" she asked.

"Grand theft and arson in Nevada" Cherry said nervously. "She's threatening to extradite me...I could do like fifty years or something!"

"Shh, shh" Charlotte hushed soothingly. "We can handle this...we'll think of something"

"I can't go to prison" Cherry said flatly

"You'll go if that's what you need to do" Luann spat at her

Cherry returned to the bench in her cell and started crying softly. Just then Stahl strode in, purposefully not looking at Charlotte, and walked up to Luann's cell. "Good news Luann," she said triumphantly, "I was able to pull some strings and get you to see your incarcerated hubby before we put you away too...Just a little parting gift from me to you. Congratulations." she turned and walked away, her head held high.

* * *

Charlotte's bones creaked from falling asleep against the bars when Jax burst into their pod hours later. She stood up against them when he rushed over to Luann and told her to tell her husband not to give anything to the Feds then he turned to Cherry. Charlotte heard her pleading and yelling for Jax to get her out because she couldn't do time and she was gunna rat.

"What about you?" he asked, turning to Charlotte. "Need me to spring your ass too?"

"No," she said. "I'm good."

"What?" he asked suspiciously, "I heard they have you on murder, you really gunna take the fall for that?"

"Honey, what they _have_ is a year-old cowpie." she said firmly "I used my phone call to have it handled." He nodded slowly and warily. "Jax," she said before he turned to leave, "tell Tig I'll see him in forty-eight hours."

"Yeah," Jax nodded then said "You owe him a conversation when you get out."

"Yeah" she croaked, nodding rapidly. She looked over his shoulder and blew Cherry a kiss before they both left the station.


	12. Unleashed

**WARNING: This chapter contains description of violent acts and has a TW for rape.**

Charlotte woke again the next morning to a key in the lock on her cell door. When she walked out of the hallway where the holding cells were she approached Agent Stahl

"Only twenty-four hours?" she asked, feigning surprise

"Yes," Stahl said, busying her hands with some papers on the desk in front of her. "The sheriff called this morning and it turns out someone else admitted to the murder last night."

Charlotte's heart jumped in her chest but she smiled anyway and said, "Funny how these things happen...Don't beat yourself up too much." she walked passed her and out the front door of the station. They didn't call anyone to pick her up so she walked the few blocks it was to get back to her car parked in front of the laundromat. When she was back in her car she flipped open her almost dying phone and called Sam.

"Belle" he answered on the second ring, "They let you out?"

"Oh thank God" she said over him. "Yeah. They said someone confessed...who-?"

"Pharm did." he said "He's gunna say he went off his meds for the couple weeks before and after."

She was silent for a long time, in awe. "How long have you had this backup for?" she asked slowly.

"Since the night we found you covered in blood." he said softly "We had Pharm go into a few clinics, acting crazy saying he couldn't get the blood off and some shit. His shrink knows what to say when he's called to the stand, he'll do a couple months in psych and be home."

This time her tears were real. "Thank you." she said softly

"Love you too, Belle" he said warmly, before hanging up the phone.

She allowed herself five minutes to cry in the privacy of her car before starting it and driving back to the clubhouse. When she pulled into the lot, however, it took her much longer to collect herself to get out of the car and face Tig. The choice was no longer left up to her however because Tig, seeing her orange car through the clubhouse window, had run out to meet her. So, when he saw him running toward her she got out of the car and jumped into his arms, causing him to skid on the gravel and them both to fall to the ground. He rolled on top of her digging her bare shoulders into the gravel while he kissed her.

"Don't ever do that to me again" he said, rolling off her and onto his back, running his hand through his hair and looking at the sky.

"Never" she said, looking up at the sky next to him "There's nothing else they can get me on anyway."

"That's good to know." he said, getting to his feet then reaching down to help her to hers. "Charlotte, I need to know what-"

"Yeah" she said, looking at her feet. "Yeah, let's go talk."

He took her hand and lead her through the clubhouse past everyone who just patted her on the back approvingly. He shut and - for the first time since she had been there - locked his door then sat down on the bed in front of her. The room was quiet for a long time while Charlotte paced, trying to think of the best way to begin. Finally she decided to take the visual approach and drew the curtain wide open so the room was well lit before reaching to unbutton her shorts.

"No" Tig said, his throat constricted. "I just want to-"

"Let me show you" she said, taking his face in her hand, tears falling down her cheeks. He eased back into the bed and watched her quietly. When her shorts hit the ground she covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and raised her left leg slowly to expose the scar up her inner thigh.

Tig leaned closer and reached out to touch the dollar coin-sized brand. She turned her leg so he could see better and he pulled his hand away as though it had been burned when he saw that the brand was shaped like a swastika with extra little self-inflicted cuts sticking out of it, deforming it a little. "What the fuck?!" he said, standing up and looking her in the face. "Charlotte…" he whispered, looking at her in confusion.

"They-" she spat between little sobs, "they gave it to me when they took us. I-I was twenty-one and they took me and my baby sister and a couple of our Sister Crosses, you know? Like other girls real close to the club."

He sank back into the bed in front of her and nodded.

"Anyway" she continued, swallowing back her tears and getting increasingly angrier, "These Skinhead mother fuckers took us because the club was integrated." she sighed and looked into Tig's eyes. "Got me in between one of my classes at college when I stopped to get a coffee and had to pee. Picked up my sister before cheer practice while she was surrounded by people." Both Charlotte's body and her voice quivered. "She was skinny, like me and our mom, and they gave her too much heroin the first day - I think they did it on purpose because she was biracial; a symbol of everything they hated, two races coexisting and loving one another." She sunk into the chair across from him and rubbed away the tears that were burning her skin. "she died. She died that first day. There was nothing I could do but hold her hand while they jeered and poured beer all over her dead body and some NeoNazi pantywaist shoved his flaccid penis into my ass." After saying this part she unclenched her teeth, not even realized she had been clamping them so tightly while she was saying it. "They kept us in a basement for three days. Whenever we got too vocal or mobile they just shot us up with some more shit. I didn't even think I was in a physical place." she said, shrugging, "I thought I was just existing in Pain. I closed my eyes while they beat and raped me and when they weren't around I opened them only to see my sister's dead body decomposing next to me, beer and piss and cum soaking into her skin. The second night they gave us the brands; said we were special because not every gash gets the opportunity to sleep with every member of the faction. The brand hurt" she admitted, "But not as much as having it rubbed raw after by their sticky, pasty-ass thighs."

Tig got to this knees and knelt down in front of her and reached up to stroke her face. "Stop." he said, "I can't..."

"Oh YOU can't?!" she asked pushing his hand away from her, "You can't deal with MY ra-"

"That's not what I meant" he said, putting his hand on her knees, pinching the bridge of his nose.

She glared down at him "Anyway, my dad - step-dad - died in the raid to get us out but the rest of them killed every last sick son of a bitch who was still in there." She sat up proudly but slumped back down almost instantly at what she had to say next. "After that I went AWOL for a while, couldn't shake the habit and fell in deep. I stripped for clean needles, sold it out a couple of times...I was a different person then, I wasn't myself" she pled to Tig whose face was unchanging. "Five years" she said wistfully, "I'm lucky I didn't die but I think that's what I wanted. Then the MC finally tracked me down; I had made it all the way to Texas - and brought me home, put me through rehab and saw me through school. I've been clean for two years." her eyes shone with new tears that she wiped away quickly. "But when I saw him again it put all the good I had become into jeopardy." she looked at him sadly, "It was one of the guys from the basement. He had probably beat on me and drugged me but what I remembered his face from when I woke up one night and he was raping my sister's dead body. So, as soon as I saw him I followed him down and alley and stabbed him, right in the back and through his stomach. Then I cut his dick off and shoved the knife up his ass a couple of times for good measure. He bled out and I went back to our clubhouse. The boys found me, sitting on the couch and staring into space covered in blood. They helped me cover it up and I moved out here." She smiled weakly at him and waited for him to say something.

He just sat there for a while, continuously nodding his head and frowning as though he were a theoretician trying to understand a new concept, until he got up and swung to door open so hard that it split in two. She got up quickly and ran out after him, calling his name. Bobby joined her in trotting after Tig out into the lot where he had already mounted his bike.

"Where are you going?" she called after him. In response he simply sped off so she ran to her car and sped after him and Bobby after her. They rode to a truckstop bar just outside of town and squealed into the parking lot when they saw Tig's bike parked in front of it. When they got to the door Bobby put his arm out and pushed her behind him so he went in first.

"Tig" Charlotte whispered when she walked up behind him on a barstool. "Alex, baby?"

"Hey!" he said cheerily, putting his arm around her shoulder and kissing her temple. "I was just talking about you! Yeah," he said nodding enthusiastically. "I was just telling this fellow over here that my girl is ten times prettier than that FAT WHALE DOWN AT THE END OVER THERE."

"Tig!" Bobby said exasperatedly as he squared off next to him while the guy who's girl he just insulted bum rushed Tig who pushed Charlotte out of the way as he wound up and socked the guy in the face.

Next thing they knew the whole bar was rushing at Tig and Bobby. Tig was weaving through the bodies hurling at him, punching whatever he could reach and taking a few good hits himself. People started backing away and hesitating as he stood there, holding up his fists and egging them on. When the fighting slowed down and the herd thinned the woman Tig had insulted walked up behind Charlotte and smashed her face into the bar when she wasn't looking.

Before Tig even reach Charlotte she was back on her feet and had elbowed the woman, who was much shorter than her, in the face. Recovering much more slowly than Charlotte had she was able to get another shot in to the temple while the girl was crouched down on the floor. When she was finally down after Charlotte sunk a few more into her face a kicked her in the stomach Charlotte stood up straight, spit some of the blood out of her mouth and stepped over the woman's body and up to Tigger who was staring at her, his mouth open.

"Get the fuck out of here" she said through gritted teeth, grabbing him by the ear and pulling him out the door, Bobby following behind them. When they emerged she pushed him toward his bike and started walking toward her car.

"Ride with me" he said in a tone that suggested it wasn't a docile request.

"No" she said firmly, "If I leave the Nova here those shit heads will roll it into a ditch"

"GET ON THE FUCKING BIKE CHARLOTTE" he screamed, pointing at it.

"I'll wait here with the Nova" Bobby said, shocked by Tig's tone "Have Half-Sack come and tow it back."

"Fine" she said and walked cautiously over to Tig. She saddled the bike and wrapped her arms around his waist. When he pulled out of the parking lot he didn't turn the way back to the clubhouse but, instead, toward the highway. He drove at top speed down the long stretch of road, screaming at the top of his lungs into the wind. She pressed her face against his back and rubbed against him, wrapping her arms around him tighter. At this, Tig decided it was time to go back to the clubhouse and turned the bike around, driving a more legal speed this time. The sun started to dip in the sky behind them.

When they got back to the clubhouse Charlotte noticed that her Nova was already waiting for her. Tig draped his arm over her shoulder so she could help him walk since there was a gash in his leg. When they walked inside Tig let go of her and went over to Clay and whispered in his ear: "Hey, I'm sorry, man I just needed to…"

"Yeah," Clay said "It happens. But if you ever go to let off some steam in your kutte again...you're done."

"Yeah, Clay." he nodded and rejoined Charlotte who was waiting to clean him up.

In his room she helped Tid take his clothes off, draping his cut over a chair and unbuttoning the black denim he was wearing underneath. He slowly raised his arms over his head so she could take his undershirt off and she helped unbutton his pants since his cut up hands were a little too weak to. As he slid them down off his hips and stepped out of them she took her clothes off too, making sure her shirt didn't touch her nose and get coated with blood. When she was undressed she stepped into the shower where Tig was just turning on the water and wrapped her arms around his body, running her hands up his chest and kissing his back. The water running off the two of them was a muted red. The hot water on their open wounds stung but their hand on each other's bodies quelled the pain. Charlotte reached out oh the shower curtain and grabbed a washcloth off the back of the toilet and ran it over Tig's body knocking any dirt or fibers out of his wounds and mopping up the matted blood in his hair and goatee.

He plucked the washcloth from her hands and ran it over her busted fingers, kissing each one as he went. He kissed up her arms and neck and then took her face in his hands and said, "I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry."

She smiled at him and lifted one shoulder to her ear, "Hey, nothing you can do now." He looked away from her but she pulled his face back to hers. "I'm serious. Don't do that again, it's not worth it getting all pissed at old shit that's dead and buried."

When they were done getting clean they stepped out and dried off, hesitantly patting their wounds with a towel. Tig fetched a medical kit from his bedroom full of gauze, band-aids and antiseptic. He hoisted her onto the counter that held his sink and put a nose strip over the bridge of her nose and smeared some antiseptic over the cut there. He worked on her fingers as they rested on her knees and his eyes darted up to her inner thigh.

He put his hand between them and covered the brand with his hand and looked into her eyes. "Why haven't you gotten it covered up or something?"

She shifted uncomfortably on the sink, "It's just been really difficult for me to face." she said sadly.

"Do you want to?" he asked warily

"Of course I do." she said, closing her legs. "I hate having to look at it and be reminded. It makes me sick."

"Let me take you somewhere to get it covered up."

"Where?" she said. "Not anywhere near Charm-"

"No" he said shaking his head. "How about Idaho or some shit?"

She laughed. "When are you going to get the time to go to Idaho?"

"It could be a two day trip. I won't even wear my kutte, no one will know it's us."

"Aww Tig" she said, feigning flattery, "Is this our first vacation together?" She laughed playfully

"Is that a yes?" he asked, moving in closer to her.

"Yeah sure, why not" she said, smiling at him. He moved his hand up her leg where it had been resting on the scar, and stuck two fingers into her pussy, causing her to gasp and rest against the mirror over the sink. He leaned into her and kissed her softly, tugging her lower lip away from her mouth and he slowly moved his fingers in and out of her, getting her wetter.

When she was ready he pulled her hips towards him on the counter and slid his erect penis into her and let his smooth member get coated with her juices before started sliding in and out of her, his hands braced on the wall behind her. They breathed heavily in unison, a small whimper emitting from her throat every so often until they started coming closer together and had grown to moans. He kept his eyes wide open and on her as she arched her back and her eyes rolled back in her head. When he quickened her pace inside her she sat up and dug her fingers into his shoulders, pressing her heaving breasts against his chest. This closeness amplified the electricity between them and, in response, he started moving even faster

"Yeah" he breathed in her ear as the heat spread through his body and caused him to start sweating.

"Mmmm" she moaned in his ear and kissed his cheek and neck. he wrapped one of his arms around her waist and held her body close to his feeling her contract around him. "Yes Alex, yes...yes!" she said loudly over his shoulder

He put his head against hers and asked breathlessly, "You ready?"

"Yeah" she moaned, drawing out the word into a high-pitched shout

"Okay baby" he said, spreading his legs to get more downward leverage as he thrust into her. Their muted moans tangled in the air as they both moved quickly to orgasm. Charlotte felt the base of his cock swell inside her and the force of his load pushing the tip up into her while he felt a last rush of her juices sweep over his cock before her walls clamped tight around him. When they came he stayed inside her and rest his head in her breasts as they caught their breath together. he finally pulled out of her and she hopped off the counter and sat down on the toilet.

While she peed and went to get dressed he wrapped his fingers and put some antiseptic on his face. He got dressed again, looking at her waiting for him on the bed. When he was ready he draped his arm around her shoulders again and held her close to him.

"Beer?" she asked, looking up at him he nodded and headed over to the pool table. When she got the beer she waited until his turn was over to hand it to him.

"Hey, babe" he said to her after a swig, "You wanna play winner?"

"Only if they're ready to be a loser" she said, winking at him

"Ohh!" Bobby shouted and pat Charlotte on the belt, "Oh, hey, did I tell you guys that this girl let some fat broad have it at the bar today too?" The men around chuckled "No seriously this girl was like three times wider than our Char and she just knocked her the fuck out." he chortled into his beard.

Charlotte leaned against the back of the couch across from where Tig was standing at the table.

"Hey" Juice said from his place at the bar, "You really kill some guy?"

"No," she said, sweetly, "Didn't you hear? Someone else confessed" she winked at him and everyone cheered. Clay ducked out to answer his phone.

"That was Rosen" he said, re-entering the club floor. He explained the Luann was in the clear but that Otto was in deeper shit after smashing up Agent Stahl's face.

"He didn't!" Charlotte said excitedly when he told them.

"Oh yes he did" Clay said grinning from ear to ear.

Tig came over and wrapped his arms around Charlotte and kissed her hair in celebration while everyone laughed hysterically. "Bitch deserved it" he said, playing with a piece of her hair speaking to the group.

"Yeah!" everyone shouted in agreement

The next thing she heard was Juice screaming, "Cops!" The door burst open before any of them were able to turn around to look at it and she was being yanked away from Tig and forced to the ground. Tig called out for Clay, trying to break past the agent holding him down to get to his kings side. When he couldn't he just looked at Charlotte's eyes staring up at him through her eyelashes to calm himself down. They laid there, cursing while they arrested Bobby until Stahl kicked Gemma in the side. Everyone tried to get up and charge the bitch but were held in place by the guns pointed at the back of their heads.

When ATF left Charlotte got to her feet and rushed over to Gemma who was in Clay's arms, holding her side where Stahl had kicked her. "I'm fine. I'm fine!" Gemma said loudly, snapping at the crowd of people that had surrounded her. "Take me home Clay" she grabbed her bag and walked out the door. He followed after her.

"C'mon babe" Tig said, resting two fingers against her elbow. "Lets go to bed. We'll figure all this Bobby shit out in the morning." She followed him, shaking her head in disbelief.


	13. Capybara

The next day Charlotte went straight to Gemma's house knowing that SAMCRO would be busy finding out whatever they could about Bobby's incarceration. She knocked on the door just as Gemma was grabbing her keys to go to the hospital. When Gemma saw Charlotte at the door she put her keys back down and opened the door to let her into the house.

"Hey" Gemma said softly, wrapping her into a hug. "What do you need darlin'?"

"Nothin'" Charlotte replied, rubbing the tired queen's back "I came here to ask you what you needed. I figured I should stay clear of the clubhouse today, let the boys do what they need to do and see if there was any way I could help."

"You're such a sweetheart." Gemma said, grasping both of Charlotte's arms then grabbed her keys up again and slid her sunglasses over her eyes. "But until we know what's going on there's nothing for us women to do but wait." She led Charlotte out with her and parted at the street to go to their separate cars.

* * *

Charlotte went home and fed her cat. She looked around her house at the light veil of dust on her furniture and wondered if she should move to Charming since she was already commuting an hour and fifteen minutes in the morning anyway sleeping at the clubhouse. She filled a glass of water from the sink and thought harder about that decision thinking about how Tig would react if she just up and moved to be closer to him. _I'm no crazy stalker,_ she told herself resolutely and nodded her head after downing the glass. She ran upstairs and changed into a pair of baggy jeans and an old, ripped AC/DC tee shirt. She put her frameless glasses on and headed down to the garage to work on the Panhead.

Hours later, when the sun had barely just set, Tig was in her driveway killing the motor of his bike and walking up to the garage that light was pouring out of. She was sitting on a plastic crate with a wrench in her hand, attaching the headlight to the fork when he pulled her garage door open. Charlotte jumped and turned around when she heard the door roll up into the ceiling of her garage but smiled and got up off the crate when she saw Tig standing there.

Moving closer to greet him she saw the pain written across his face and stopped smiling at him but still wove her arms around his waist underneath his kutte, "What happened?" she asked him

In response he rubbed some grease off her cheek with his thumb and kissed her, walking her back into the garage and reaching up to close the door behind them.

"Alex, what-" she began as he moved his mouth down her neck

He put his hand over her mouth and looked her in the eye, "I need you." his voice was shaking "I need…" He grabbed one of the tears in her shirt and ripped it open so her shirt fell, tattered, onto the floor. Hoisting her up onto his hip he rushed to a clearer part of the floor behind the bike. She was kissing and biting his cheek and neck while he looked down at the floor and kicked some screws and bolts out of the way before laying her down on the cold, grease-stained cement slab. He grabbed one of the rags she had on the floor and used it to tie her wrists together. He then pinned her bound hands down above her head with one hand and used the other to pull the underwire of her bra over her breasts to expose them without going through the trouble of unhooking it. Releasing his grip on her wrists momentarily he used both hands to pull her jeans off. He pulled them so hard that she yelped in pain at the friction of it burning against her skin. Next, he undid his belt from his pants and folded it like he did before. He turned her onto her side and kneeled over her looking at her face when he brought the belt down on her fleshy hip.

"Ah-ah!" she screamed, closing her eyes tightly; squeezing tears of pain down her cheeks. Charlotte looked at him and bit her lower lip; squirming underneath him. "Again." she said breathlessly and smiled mischievously at him. He smirked down at her and massaged the cheek exposed to him so it was relaxed again before bringing it down on her this time hit the very top of her ass, sending the string up into her back. She jerked and clenched her teeth, letting out an involuntary, "Gah!" She tried to sit up on her elbows and knees but he pushed her roughly in the ass and made her lay flat on her stomach.

Tig ran his hands up the length of her legs, squeezing her ass, digging his nails into it before rolling her back over and pinning her arms down again. She looked up at him longingly and darted her eyes down to his bulging crotch. With this signal from her he unbuttoned his pants and pulled his dick out through his fly and guided it into her pussy. When he was in and had a good rhythm going inside her, listening to the involuntary sounds that came from her mouth he reached his free hand up and placed it around her throat. He didn't squeeze, just pressed his perlicue into her neck until he felt the concrete underneath his fingers.

"You okay?" he asked, continuing to ram himself into her

She nodded tentatively and focused on his face. It was dark and angry but she noticed that his eyes were also watery and he was blinking rapidly to keep tears from falling down his cheeks. He began grunting, his breathing shallow, with every thrust into her because he was using every ounce of energy he had to drill his cock deeper into her. His legs tensed against her body and he pushed himself hard into her then started moving inside her so quickly that his balls slapped noisily against her ass. He paid no attention to the fact that she had already contracted violently around him twice, consecutively, but he had removed his hand from her throat and was using it to give him leverage against the wall next to him.

Charlotte felt her third orgasm grow inside her weakened body and moaned half-heartedly before looking up at Tig through the sweat clouding her vision and whispered, "Alex…" He looked down at her and brushed her hair out of her face, slowing his pace and leaning over her to kiss her collarbone. This time, when she came, he came with her. After his ejaculation stopped he pulled out and caught his breath. When he looked over at her he saw that she was shivering without the strength to move from her spot on the cold floor. Her shirt ripped beyond help he lifted her into his arms and draped his kutte over her to get her from the garage to her bed. He placed her down gently and pulled the blankets over her. She looked at him then sighed contentedly, pulled the comforter up under her chin and rolled onto her side while he stroked her hair. He closed the door over when he left her room to go turn off the lights and make sure the power tools were off in the basement. Then, after getting two glasses of water for them, he walked back up the stairs, got undressed and laid down next to her - just staring at the wall with his hands behind his head.

Only half-asleep, Charlotte stirred next to him and said, "You going to tell me what's wrong?"

He turned his head to her slowly and looked at her sloping shoulder and bare back before saying, "Opie's the one. He's the reason Bobby got locked up."

Charlotte rolled over quickly and sat up in bed next to him. "No" she said breathlessly. Tig nodded solemnly and pulled her into his arms. "How do you know?"

Tig explained the evidence they had against Opie, the wire transfer, the bugs - everything. His voice remained affectless the entire time and when he finished Charlotte's hands were over her mouth.

"Oh my god" she said finally

"I don't want it to be true." he said

"I know you don't, Alex." she said softly, running her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheek.

"Those kids" he said painfully "Donna…"

She pulled him into her arms and rested his head on her chest, holding his forearms in her hands and leaning her cheek against his head. "Is it you?" she asked, a knot in her stomach. He was quiet for a long time, not wanting to tell her the answer but his silence was answer enough and she said, "Sometimes you have to protect family from family. Now, that's just a sad fact of life."

Held tightly in her arms and feeling the comfort of his rough skin against her body they both drifted off to sleep.


	14. The Sleep of Babies

Morning came all too soon for Tig who woke up sprawled out on Charlotte's bed. For a second when he looked her body over in the faint morning light being filtered through her curtains he forgot what day it was and what he had to do. When he remembered, all he wished for was to have the night back to sleep some more.

"C'mon babe." he croaked, nudging her awake. "You gotta go to work."

"Mmm?" Charlotte grunted, confused in her early morning stupor.

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, what you said."

They dressed in silence: Tig contemplating what the day could hold for him and Charlotte too sore and tired to form complete sentences. As they descended the steps, Tig in front of Charlotte, she grabbed his shoulders and squeezed them supportively. Once in the living room he waited with his hand on the doorknob while she collected her purse and briefcase ready to open it for her when she was ready.

"Hey Charlotte?" he said abruptly before they parted in the driveway, "I don't know what Clay's plan is for today. If it's...if...can I call you?"

"Of course." she said, kissing him softly, not needing to stand on her toes because she was wearing heels for work. "Call me whenever you need me." He kissed her back and rubbed her hand on the small of her back underneath the coral blazer she was wearing over a black dress with white piping.

After she watched him pull out her driveway she leaned her head on her steering wheel and found herself saying a silent prayer before starting her car and driving to work.

* * *

The first call of the day came from Gemma who was excitedly inviting Charlotte to come welcome her grandson, Abel, home tonight. Thrilled to have such a happy distraction Charlotte gladly said she'd be there and volunteered to bring a crudite. Many hours later Charlotte began packing up to go back home when Tig finally called her.

"I couldn't do it." he hissed nervously

"Okay" she said, packing her bag more quickly. On the other end of the phone she heard a loud noise that was Tig punching a hole in his wall. "Okay, okay." she said more frantically "I'm leaving work now."

"Okay" he said and hung up.

When she walked into the clubhouse an hour and a half later she walked up to where Tig was talking to Bobby.

"Oh!" Bobby said looking at her in her professional wear "Hot for Teacher!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes at him then shot him a piercing glance and slid her hand up Tig's shirt sleeve. "I told Gemma I'd bring a crudite to Abel's coming home party tonight, would you come with me to the grocery store?" she asked Tig

"The fuck?!" he said, snorting and shaking his head "No."

"Let me rephrase that" she said, putting her hand on his hip "would you like to come _drive_ with me to the grocery store?" He blinked at her, his expression unchanging. "You know...like in a car, with a whole door...ALONE"

The men in the bar hooted and hollered when Tig quickly took her hand and lead her out of the clubhouse, pinching her ass before they got out the door. When he saw her walk towards the driver side door of her Nova he quickly stepped in front of her and held out his hand.

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him bemused. "What?" she asked, shrugging

"Let me drive." he said firmly

"Oh that's really funny" she said pushing past him and shaking her head.

"No, c'mon I'm not letting you drive." he said, stepping in front of her again

"You're not letting me? You're not letting me drive my own car?" she smiled at him, crazy with amusement. He said nothing, realizing this was going to be a hard fight to win. "You're not going to let me drive the car my mother left to me?" she continued, her smile growing the more he shrank back from her. "The car my mother and father drove off in after their wedding."

"Did your father let your mother drive that time?" he asked sarcastically

She raised her eyebrows so high that they were in peril of disappearing into her hairline. "Ohhhh" she said, laughing bitterly, "You have a death wish." she hit him in the shoulder with her briefcase and returned her keys back into her purse. "We'll take the van." she said walking past him toward the black van "Let me drive" she mimicked him, "Yeah, let you drive my car…" she scoffed under her breath, "How about I just take your Dyna out when I'm getting my nails done. You must be out of your goddamn mind." She wrenched the passenger door open and climbed up into the seat of the van.

When he closed the door behind him he was laughing quietly. His laughter infected her and she started laughing too. They drove to the grocery store in utter amazement at how much they enjoyed eachother's company. Tig didn't want to talk about the hit on Opie and lose their laughter that still hung in the air.

"So…" she began, turning to face him when they parked outside the grocery store "You gunna talk to me about it or not?"

"Yeah" he croaked, turning to her and rubbing his eyes with his hand. "I have to do it tonight, after the party."

"Jesus." Charlotte said, turning away from him. "How are you supposed to not get tagged for this if you just do it out in the open?"

"I'm gunna make it look like a gangbanger did it." he said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Retaliation for what happened yesterday."

"Alex" she breathed, looking at him sadly

"You know what?" he said, pulling the keys out of the ignition. "I think I will come into the store with you. Do _something_ normal on this fucking day."

"Going grocery shopping is not normal for you." Charlotte laughed, getting out of the van. "Just wait out here. It won't take long."

She returned less than ten minutes later with a premade crudite tray in her hand and got back into the van. "See" she beamed at him, "Painless."

"By the time we get back we should probably just head right to Jax's" Tig said, starting the van

"Okay" she nodded, "Should I ride with you?"

"Nah, you can't. I gotta ride alone."

"Right." she said, looking at her hands.

* * *

At the party it was great to see Gemma looking so happy with a bounce in her step as she catered to the people who had piled in Jax's living room.

"You are just so in your element." Charlotte said happily to her when they were alone together in the kitchen.

"This" Gemma said, wrapping her arm around Charlotte's shoulders, "this is what we work for."

Charlotte smiled and nodded before she left the kitchen, her hands laden with beers for the men sitting in the living room. When she passed Tig his beer he took it from her, got up off the couch and walked her over to a thin girl with big brown eyes and very dark features.

"Tara" he called to her, causing her to turn around. "This is Charlotte, she's new to Charming. Talk, make friends." he left them together and sat back down.

"Hi there" Charlotte said in her sweet accent, genuinely being friendly as she held out a hand for Tara to shake.

"Hi" she replied rather cooly, taking in Charlotte's appearance and looking at her as though she were wearing a costume. It was true that, dressed in her work clothes, she looked completely out of place in a room full of leather and denim bikers but she knew that - whatever she wore - this is where she fit in best.

"How do you know everybody?" she pressed a little

"I'm with Jax." Tara said defensively and walked away, chugging her beer.

"Ohhhh kay then." Charlotte said, walking back to Tig and falling onto his lap.

"How'd it go?" he asked jokingly

"That woman has a boot up her ass about something." she said, adjusting her blazer around her body and flipping her hair out of her face.

"Well" he said, laughing, "Thanks for playing nice." He pulled her toward him and kissed her cheek.

"I'm not going to ruin Gemma's party" she said, taking his beer from him and taking a sip.

Tig stood up quickly when he saw Donna, Opie and his kids walk through the front door and wrapped her hand in his - now sweating, one. He started leading her over to them but she dug her heels in discreetly.

"No, Tig" she hissed "I can't not with tonig-"

"You have to." he said, holding her arm, "Before tomorrow." She nodded at him sadly. "Hey Ope!"

"Hey Tig!" he said greeting him with a hug and a pat on the back. Charlotte held her hand out for Opie to shake but instead he pulled her into a brotherly side hug. When they parted Charlotte smoothed her hair away from her face with a flattered smile for him to think so familiarly of her. "This is my wife Donna." he said introducing her to Charlotte.

"Nice to meet you" Donna said genuinely, shaking Charlotte's hand

"You as well" Charlotte said, smiling back at her.

Donna asked her all about Alabama and her job as a social worker and they were just talking about Donna's job when Jax and his wife came in with a squirming bundle of blankets in their arms. After everyone had swarmed them to look down at the baby Tig pulled Charlotte onto his lap on the couch.

"Look at him." he said to her "He's cute, huh?"

"Yeah" Charlotte said, nodding and gazing at the baby in Clay's arms "He's like a little cream puff. You got any of those running around?" she asked him

"Two that I know of." he said, looking into his bottle and downing it.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, interestedly

"Yeah. Two girls, they're probably…" he looked at her and narrowed his eyes, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven." she said

"Okay, so they're probably around...your age." he said in disbelief

"Thank god for daddy issues, right Tigger?" Bobby chuckled

"Cheers to that!" Chibs said, clinking his beer bottle against Bobby's

Luckily for Bobby and Chibs Gemma had come over with the baby and placed it in her arms. "Uh!" Charlotte exclaimed, "Ummm. Here." she said, passing the baby to Tig and getting off his lap. She went into the kitchen to get them both new drinks.

"What, no aching womb?" Gemma asked, walking into the kitchen behind her.

"No ma'am, not quite yet." Charlotte replied, taking a swig from her beer.

"Good!" she said perkily, "Because between you and me, Tig is not ready to become a daddy anytime soon. I'm not sure he was ready the first two times."

Charlotte followed her back out into the living room just in time to see Tara slamming the front door on her way out.

"I do not like that girl." Charlotte said under her breath before walking back over to Tig, leaving Gemma to smile at her as she did. She had just handed Tig his whiskey and coke when Opie and Donna began saying their goodbyes.

Tig made eye contact with Clay over Charlotte's shoulder and downed the drink she had brought him then stood up. Charlotte took his hand gently and followed him to the door. Before he followed them out she pulled his face to hers and kissed him briefly. "Hey Tig. I…" she blinked and changed course before she finished her sentence. "I'll see you back at the club" He nodded and swallowed and then was out the door.

When she turned back around to face everyone she locked eyes with Clay who was staring at her suspiciously then back down at her feet.

Chibs walked over to her with the baby in his arms and said, "I'll get you to hold this little bugger yet."

"No, no" she said laughing nervously "That is not my baby to break." Several people around her laughed.

"Aw c'mon you're not gunna hurt him." he scoffed and slowly transferred the baby to her arms. "Now just support the head and - that's it - you're doing beautifully!"

"Oh kaaay" she said moving her arms up and down gently. She did this for a while before saying, "Yeahhh I'm not the worst person in the world at this. This is okay. Are you okay Able?" he looked up at her with his bright blue eyes. "Yeah, we're okay." She looked up at Chibs and Gemma and pulled a nervous smile across her face. Gemma smirked lovingly and went over to Charlotte to relieve her of the baby. "There you go" Charlotte said, turning to Chibs, "now I've held it." They both laughed.

* * *

Next thing she knew Clay's cell phone was ringing and the men were running out the door to go see about a shooting tip Unser had just called to tell Clay about.

"Oh God" Gemma said softly as she watched them run out the door.

"I'll wait here with you for news." Charlotte said and started picking up the plastic cups, empty bottles and plates that were scattered around with the help of Wendy.

She was in the kitchen cleaning some pans when Gemma, having just gotten off the phone, walked in and said. "It was Donna."

"What?!" Charlotte and Wendy said in unison

"It was Donna who got shot."

Charlotte sank into one of the kitchen chairs and held her stomach; her throat constricting when she realized what happened. The house was filled with the palpable silence of grief until they heard Jax's keys in the front door. At this Charlotte collected her things and rushed the leave the house. Before she left she squeezed Gemma's hand and pat Jax on the forearm while there were talking in the hallway as a form of farewell before she closed the door behind her and bolted to her car.

Her tires squealed to a stop when she pulled into the lot at Teller & Morrow. Once in the clubhouse, she ran past Chibs and Juice who were drowning their sorrows without so much as a look at one another. She turned sideways to enter through the, uselessly, closed half door that still hung on it's hinges. Tig wasn't in his room but she followed the light that was on in his bathroom and turned just in time to see him smashing his head into his mirror for what appeared to be the fourth or fifth time. She put her hand on his shoulder and eased him to sit down on the toilet. When she went to get the glass out of the gash in his head he pushed her away from him.

"Leave it" he growled, not looking at her as she stumbled slightly.

After regaining her balance she kicked her heels off at his feet and knelt down in front of him, bringing the first aid kit onto her lap. "No." she replied firmly, turning his head down to face her. "I'll clean it with alcohol if you want to be in pain but I AM cleaning it." And so she did. When she was nearly sure all the glass was out she knelt Tig's head over the sink and poured a generous amount of isopropyl alcohol into the cut on his head. His body jerked and his face turned red as he let himself experience the burning.

Charlotte put a small strip over the wound then led Tig to the bed and helped him undress, taking his kutte off and folding it gently before putting it on the desk next to the door the pulled the rest of his shirts off over his head; saying nothing. She went around to the other side of the bed while he took his own pants off and let her dress fall to the floor before getting in bed next to him. She looked at his despondent face for a while, stroking his cheek, before reaching across him and turning off the light.


	15. The Revelator

Charlotte woke up before Tig, who hadn't been able to go to sleep until early in the morning. When she did she pulled on a pair of old sweat pants and a t-shirt she had in his drawer then headed toward the garage, walking past the workers in silence and shuffling through a toolbox for a prybar and a screwdriver. She found a trash bag underneath the bar in the clubhouse when she returned and brought everything with her into Tig's room

She jammed the prybar behind the mirror in Tig's bathroom after laying the garbage bag over the sink to catch the pieces that fell from it when she started pulling it from the wall. When every last bloodstained piece was off the wall and in the garbage bag she tied it up and moved to the door, digging the screwdriver into the screws that was hanging the dilapidated door to the wall.

"You know we have Prospect for that." Gemma said, walking up behind her quietly, looking into the bedroom at Tig still sleeping.

"Yeah" Charlotte said, shakily "I just...needed to do something."

"Cook." Gemma said then continued when she saw Charlotte's confused face. "You can cook. We're sitting over at Opie's house and he'll need food. If you want to do something, you can cook. Leave this shit to them...what we do is more important."

"Yes ma'am." Charlotte nodded in agreement resting the, now unhinged, door against the wall. "I'd just rather be in Charming right now." She looked in at Tig "than cooking all the way in Stockton."

Gemma looked at her endearingly and stroked the back of her head. "You'll be good for this club." she followed Charlotte's gaze into the room "Good for him." She pat Charlotte on the cheek and walked back down the hallway.

* * *

As she was bringing the garbage bag full of glass to the dumpster outside she thought about her mother and Gemma, how incredibly good they were at being queen of their charter. Charlotte's mother had been graceful and kind: a trailer park girl who grew up with dreams of being a debutant. She raised her daughters to be ladylike and discerning and use their words and body language to convey their emotions as opposed to their fists - everything else she learned from her father. Everyone in the club had loved Charlotte's mother and everyone in this club loved Gemma. Thinking about what Gemma had said to her about being good for this club she imagined what it would be like if Gemma and her mother had ever met. In that moment she decided to open herself to the members of the club other than Tig and be the woman for them that her mother had been for the HL; the woman she would've wanted her to be...but the woman that Gemma admired.

"Kip!" Charlotte called to the prospect across the lot. "You're with me, c'mon. I need your help at the hardware store." He trotted over to her and sparked up the van while she climbed in the passenger seat.

"What are we getting?" Half-Sack asked nervously

"New door for Tig." she said sliding her sunglasses over her eyes, "New mirror too."

"What happened to his mirror?" Kip asked

"We got into a fight" she lied, "he tripped into it by accident. That thick skull of his just shattered it. You know how it is sometimes" she said warmly to him.

He laughed and said, "Yes ma'am."

"So I figured to make amends I'd get him a brand, shiny new one."

"I'm sure he'll like that." his tone was innocent and reassuring.

Charlotte had him bring a basic door to the front for checkout while she went to look at the mirrors. When he got back he hung behind her while she was looking at mirrors. She looked over her shoulder and gestured for him to stand next to her.

"Hey, Kip, do you think I should stick with the rectangle or get this oval one."

"Well, uh, I don't know" he said, shifting his feet. "I'm gunna say...Tig's not much a fan of change."

Charlotte laughed, "Rectangle it is then." She went to pick it up but he cut in front of her and lifted it. She fought her initial, hyper-independent reaction to glower at him and take it herself and, instead, said "Thank you so much, Kip."

He looked at her warily before saying, "You're welcome"

Back at the clubhouse Half-Sack carried the door awkwardly to Tig's room and rested it against the wall outside. "Need me to hang it for you?" he asked

"No, that's okay." she said patting him on the back "I think I've kept you away from work long enough."

"I don't think Tig would like me to leave it for you to do on your own."

"Yeah, well, he'll learn to deal with it. Go on now."

* * *

She had finished screwing the door into place and was screwing the brackets into the wall for the mirror when she heard the men leaving that chapel and Tig's voice say, "Does anyone know where Charlie went when she left?"

"Oh, uh, she's here Tig." Half-Sack said, "In your room."

"Charlotte?" Tig said walking down the hall towards her. "Honey, where-" he turned into his bedroom and saw her stretched above the sink screwing the mirror into place.

"Hi there, darlin'!" she said looking as him through the mirror when he walked up behind her.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asked, smiling at her

"Your door was broken, your mirror was broken; now you have both a new door and a new mirror." she hopped down off the sink and stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

He looked at her amazed for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, "Listen, with all this Donna stuff." he coughed and looked down at his feet, she touched his arm and stroked it. "Anyway, I was thinking I-" he cleared his throat, "I want to go to Idaho with you when things cool down. Get away for a while."

"Ok." she said, smiling brightly at him and watched as a smile began cracking, slowly, across his own face.

He scooped her up in his arms and squeezed her tightly. She giggled into his neck and hugged him back.

"Listen," he said putting her back on her feet, "We gotta go do a thing today." she focused her eyes on him "It's, uh, the real witness."

"Shit" she said, putting her hands to her temples

"Yeah. This guy is in protective custody so we're gunna track him down, and...Anyway, I'd really like it if you could keep out of-"

"Yeah," she said rubbing her neck. "I was going to go see what Mary and the kids need anyway. I'll be back tonight."

"That's real nice." he said, rubbing the small of her back, walking behind her through the hallway.

Before leaving to head over to Opie's house Charlotte pulled Tig close to her by his kutte and kissed him deeply and passionately then grabbed the back of his neck.

"Be careful." she said sternly, "Get it done. But if it feels wrong…" she just stared at him then kissed him quickly before sliding into her car.

* * *

Hours later, while Charlotte was sitting on the floor of Opie's living room braiding Opie's daughter's hair, Tig found himself looking at a terrified seventeen year old through the hole in his ski mask. _This did not feel right_ , Tig thought, thinking about what Charlotte had said to him before he left.

After blindfolding her Tig sat down next to Chibs on a bed, stunned. For some reason the only thought in his head was his brand new door. He was in love with that door. It was the perfect door. The door he had broken wasn't the first door that was on those hinges; plenty of doors had been broken in his life. Those doors were weak, not like this door. He knew that this door was strong. Strong. Like he had to be for SAMCRO now. His reverie broke when Happy spoke from the door.

"I can do this thing." he said

"No" Tig said, looking sadly at Happy and thinking about how he was going to go back to the clubhouse tonight and, with Charlotte in his arms, close his door and block the whole world out. "It's me."

* * *

"Hey Juice!" Charlotte said brightly when she walked into the clubhouse and sat down next to him. When he didn't say anything she looked over at him and saw that his eyes were red. "What happened?" she asked urgently.

"It's a little girl." he said

"What?" Charlotte said, not hearing him the first time.

"The witness" he said, looking around him to make sure no one was around to hear him telling her. "The witness is a seventeen year old girl."

In her haste to find Tig after receiving this information she fell off her bar stool causing it to clatter, loudly to the ground. She made it all the way to her car without knowing how she planned on finding him when a single rider pulled into the lot. She turned around to see Tig stomping angrily back into the clubhouse, not having seen her in the darkness. She ran into the clubhouse after him just in time to see him throwing a chair across the room.

"No!" he was shouting at Juice, in response to him asking if it was done, "Jax came in and let her go!"

"Good." Charlotte said from the door. He turned to face her and his face fell. "Good!" she pushed him hard in the chest with both hands causing him to stagger backwards a few paces. "A seventeen year old girl?" Tig shot Juice a look, "Don't you look at him!" she said, cutting in front of his sightline "You were going to have to come back and tell me that you killed a seventeen year old girl tonight. Did you even think about that?"

"A rat-" he began

"She's a kid! Already scared after seeing something she wished she hadn't. You could've used that to make sure she had something real to be afraid of." she paced in front of him while he clenched his fists. "Jax do that to you?" she asked confrontationally, pointing at his face. He nodded in response. "You better thank him in the morning because he just stopped you from doing something that you would regret for the rest of your life." She started heading down the hallway towards his room.

"Charlotte, I-" he said following her

"Am I wrong?!" she asked furiously, turning on him

He waited before finally saying, "No. You're right." he started shaking his head, "You're right."

"This is a deal breaker for me, Alexander." she said finitely. "Last night-" she lowered her voice so only he could hear, "last night was an accident." His jaw twitched "Accidents happen; you can live your amends for an accident. But if you're goin' to start shootin' little girls…" she sighed, "Nothin' is worth havin' that on your conscious." her eyes travelled down to the insignia on his pockets. "Nothin'."

After a long silence, his eyes darting back and forth - thinking furiously, he pulled his knife; Charlotte stepped back. Instead of coming at her, though, he dropped to his knees in front of his door. He held his hand out to her, looking at her confused face, "Come down here with me." she gave him her hand and sank down to the ground next to him.

"Alex, what-?"

He pulled her into his torso and sat on the floor, his chest pressing into her back while he leaned forward - knife in hand - and started carving something into the bottom corner of the door. She felt his warm breath against her ear and his goatee scratching into her neck. While he was carving she was looking at his eyes, concentrating on his carving; his lip curved up into a small smile. When he pulled his hand away she saw that he had carved his name there. He pressed the knife into her hands and turned to face her. "Now write yours" he said softly, his voice sending chills up her spine. He helped her guide her hand to carve her name underneath his.

When she was done they turned to face one another, a soft yet confused smile stretched across Charlotte's face. "I love the door." he said looking at her, "Thank you." She blushed at him and cleared her throat. "Nothing." he said, his voice losing its husky quality when he switched gears back to the original conversation "Nothing is worth it, I promise." he kissed the side of her head.

She turned around as much as she could in his arms and kissed him passionately on the lips. In one swift motion he lifted her up into his arms and carried her through the door. Instead of dropping or throwing her onto the bed he eased her down slowly and climbed on top of her. She unbuttoned his shirt slowly between kissing her while he tugged her pants down an inch at a time. He dragged his hands up the length of her torso, his touch electrifying the skin underneath it; removing her shirt. The heat between them mounted as their bodies pressed against one another touching whatever part of each other they could touch, caressing each others cheeks while continuing to kiss.

When he entered her he was able to see a soft red color rush to her cheeks in the light of the lamp on his night stand. Being able to see her face while he slid in and out of her, his hips moving into her in a serpentine motion, somehow multiplied his ecstasy. Her eyes sparkled seductively and her body was completely relaxed under him, conveying her trust. She somehow managed to keep and tiny, mischievous curl in the corners of her lips each time she moaned and her hair was fanned out behind her like a halo. Being able to take in all these small details about her and feel her gently squeezing around him brought him quickly to a long-lasting climax

For Charlotte it was the intense, searching way that he was looking at her paired with his unexpected tenderness - not to mention the new, rhythmic way he was moving inside her - that caused her body to tense and squeeze around him. A small moan escaped her lips and he grabbed her hand, forcing her fingers apart and filling the spaces between them with his own.

* * *

Over the course of the night they came together between short bursts of sleep four times before finally waking up. A sense of mourning filled the room with the sun and they laid in bed in silence for a few minutes. Charlotte finally got out of bed and Tig watched her as she went into the bathroom and started doing her makeup. She dragged a brush dipped in eyeliner slowly over her lids, flicking her wrist slightly at the corners to add a small wing. While she blinked slowly into her mascara brush Tig got up and took a pressed, black dress shirt out of the back of his closet and laid it out on his bed then laid out a pair of pants next to it and started getting dressed. After having finished rubbing a burnt cranberry lipstick onto her lips she pulled a neatly folded black lace dress out of the small suitcase that was sitting on an armchair in Tig's room along with a pair of sheer black pantyhose. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the pantyhose up her legs slowly, one at a time. She smiled over at Tig who was smiling down at her after watching her pull them on. When she had stepped into the dress and pulled her arms through the three quarter sleeves Tig walked up behind her and tugged the zipper up her back while she swept her hair up out of it's way. While Tig started buttoning up his dress shirt Charlotte stepped gently into the black suede pumps that were sitting on the floor by her bag and smoothed the knee length hem of her dress down then moved her hands up to flatten the squared, scalloped neckline that framed her chest and collarbones before reaching around her neck and clasping a short string of champagne colored pearls around her neck. She scooped up Tig's kutte and held it out for him to shrug on before they left his room.

The atmosphere in the clubhouse was much the same as it had been in the bedroom: solemn and quiet. Charlotte walked up to Piney, who was sitting at the bar staring at his full glass and kissed him softly on the cheek whispering, "I'm so sorry" in his ear.

In response he pat her on the hand and continued looking straight ahead. Tig took her other hand and pulled her gently away from Piney and brought the back of the hand he was holding to his mouth and kissed it. He led them over to where Clay, Gemma and Wendy were standing - closer to the door. Clay leaned down and kissed Charlotte on the cheek while Tig greeted Gemma and Wendy the same way.

Surprisingly, Wendy hugged Charlotte tightly before passing her over to Gemma who also kissed her on the cheek and held took Charlotte's hand in hers. "Would you mind driving to the cemetery with me, Wendy and Luann?" Gemma asked

"Not at all" Charlotte said, "I was hoping to actually. My car isn't exactly right for a processional."

Gemma smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

Before the men departed on their bikes Tig pulled Charlotte over to his, looking at his hands like a scolded child before asking, "What were you talking about last night when you said 'living amends'?"

She took her sunglasses off and squinted at him, "It's a saying we have in NA" she explained. "It's for when you have someone you want to make amends to but can't because they're no longer here so you live your life joyfully, honestly and compassionately in their honor."

He just nodded and smiled sadly before getting on his bike so she squeezed his hand before jogging over to Gemma's black Caddy and sliding into the back seat behind Luann in the passenger seat.

* * *

When Jax walked up to the service in sweatpants and a white t-shirt Charlotte felt Tig tense next to him and observed the muscles in his jaw flexing. She took his hand and held it in attempts to calm him down but when Tara walked over to Jax and kissed him right behind the pastor giving the sermon she had to put that hand to her mouth and turn her head to the side to keep from blurting something about how disrespectful it was. When the urge passed she closed her lips tightly and raised her eyebrows at Tig who shook his head shortly in agreement.

When everyone had paid their respects and the service was over Tig pulled Clay to the side in front of Charlotte.

"We're gunna go." Tig told him

"Okay," Clay responded "I'll see you back at-"

"No." Tig cut him off. "We're going on vacation. Three days, no more. I just need a break from all this crap." his eyes darted to Jax standing in front of his father's grave.

Clay sighed, not hiding his disappointment very well but nodded before saying, "Yeah, I understand. Go, have a good time, get your mind off of things." Tig smiled and began walking away from him, "Just don't come back hitched!" Clay called after Tig who smiled and shook his head.

"C'mon Charlie" he said, pulling her close to him by the waist. "We're going to Idaho"


	16. Idaho

Charlotte put the helmet that he handed her on over her head while stepping out of her heels. In order to straddle the bike behind him she also needed to hike her dress all the way up until it barely covered the bottoms of her ass cheeks before hopping on behind him. To Charlotte's surprise he drove right to the highway after leaving the cemetery. He drove the three hours it took for them to cross into Nevada then stopped in Reno after Charlotte told him she needed to pee. While she was inside the restroom of the truck stop they stopped at for gas she took her pantyhose off completely and put them in the trash after washing her hands.

While looking through the aisles of the convenience store and picking up a bottle of water to buy she flipped open her phone and dialed a number. It rang three times and went to voicemail.

"Hey Indy." she began, leaving her message. "It's Charlotte. I was just wondering if you're still in Colorado with the MC. I hope everything is going well with the business and your little man. I was just calling to say…" she looked out the door at Tig leaning against his bike "I'm ready. I'm ready and I'm heading to Idaho to get it done but I just...I wanted to know if you could do it." she took a deep breath "Anyway, I love you. Bye."

She rejoined Tig outside "You on the phone?" he asked

"Yeah" she answered, leaning in to kiss him she hopping up on the bike.

"Who'd you call?"

"An old friend of mine," she said shortly before changing the subject, "I don't know how much longer I can be comfortable riding with no shoes and no pants."

"I don't mind." he shrugged, smiling suggestively

"I'm sure you don't" she laughed and kissed the side of his head "I, however, am freezing."

"Okay." he said, stubbing his cigarette out with his foot. "Let's find you a mall or something."

"Thank you!" she said sassily, putting his helmet back on and wrapping her arms around his waist before they pulled out of the gas station.

* * *

Tig waited in the courtyard of the outdoor outlet mall they stopped at for Charlotte to get some more appropriate clothes for riding. She got a pair of cotton leggings to wear underneath some dark wash jeans and a white tank top to wear under a tight fitting, women's forrest green Henley. To cover what parts of her neck would be exposed to the wind she bought a lightweight infinity scarf that appeared to be stroked different shades of autumn reds and oranges with watercolors. After picking out a pair of thick white ankle socks and some grey Converse she threw on a khaki messenger purse that caught her eye and she figured would come in useful.

When she walked out into the courtyard she looked around for Tig but couldn't find him. She had just pulled out her phone and was about to call him when he came up behind her.

"Hey!" he said in her ear. She jumped and put her hand to her chest. "Check this out, Charlie; look what I got." he pulled a Sony HD-SR11 camcorder out from behind his back and started filming her exasperated face rolling her eyes at him.

"Do you know how many poorly made horror films start with someone buying a camera to take on a road trip?" she asked, putting her hand in front of the lens. He kept moving it to get a good shot of her so she stopped trying to fight it and just pulled a face at the camera instead by crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.

"Do you know how many poorly made amature porn films start with someone buying-" he began. She attempted to hide the smile crossing her face and punched him in the arm. "Ow!" he said, turning the camera to face himself and whispered, "It'll be some kinky-ass S&M shit, people. Stay tuned."

"Alexander!" she squealed

He wrapped his arms around her from behind her and held the camera up so they were both in frame, cheek to cheek. "Tell your adoring fans what we're up to." he said in his best newscaster voice.

"Well," she began, fixing her hair in the recording screen he had pointed toward them "we are on our way to Idaho. And weeeeee are going to compete in the potato derby and relay race."

"The-" he began, furrowing his eyebrows. They both started laughing, Charlotte burrowing her face into his neck.

"Does it take pictures too?" she asked reaching for the camera to look at it.

"Yeah, I think so." he said standing up and putting on his sunglasses.

She examined it while they walked over to his bike. When they had both sat down she held the camera at their faces at a high downward angle so they got the back of the bike in view too and took a picture of them. Checking the picture before turning the camera off and putting it in her purse she said in amusement, "Would it kill you to smile?" She clipped the helmet on over her head.

"It might." he said before turning the engine on and heading back on their way.

* * *

Four hours later at the halfway point between Reno and Idaho Tig pulled into a 24-hour diner so they could get some food. He filmed her twirling and blowing kisses at the camera as they walked into the diner and took a seat.

"What are you going to get?" he asked, after she put her menu down

"Blueberry pancakes and sausage" she said, "You?"

"Steak and eggs"

When their meals arrived and Charlotte was lifting her first bite of pancake to her mouth he discreetly turned the camera back on and snapped her picture.

"What the-" she threw a sugar packet at him. "When we get back you are deleting that."

"No way" he said tucking it back in her purse. "So, what do you think you're going to get?'

She looked at him, confused, "I already have my food, Tig. What the-"

He laughed, "No, I meant the tattoo."

"Oh!" she said, understanding. "It's so high up and I don't want to have some random tattoo on my inner thigh like a welcome mat to my vagina." He snorted and spit his coffee out into his cup and smiled at her as she continued, "So I was thinkin' a garter belt. You know, like the kind a bride wears?" he nodded, "In like a black lace, maybe."

"That sounds fucking sexy" he said, rubbing his hand over hers roughly and giving her that look she knew all too well.

"Oh yeah, you think so?" she said softly, leaning across the table to him. She kissed him on the mouth over her plate of pancakes.

"Meet me in the bathroom?" he asked suggestively between kisses.

She sat back down in her seat and cut into her pancakes again. "No, sorry." she said, chewing "I'm wearin' two pairs of pants; it's a little too inconvenient for bathroom sex."

He huffed at her, "The fuck are you wearing two pairs of pants for?"

"You know, sometimes, when it gets dark...it also gets cold." she explained sardonically. He raised his eyebrows at her, unamused. "They don't make thick insulation fabric for girls jeans." She explained. "So, I'm wearin' two pairs of pants."

"Okay then." he said, shrugging.

When they got outside Tig lit a cigarette and blew smoke into the cold dusk air. Charlotte took a picture of him looking out at the sky then started recording.

"Want to ride through the night?" he asked her, walking closer to his bike

"Yeah" she said, "It's not that late, we'll probably get there soon after the sun sets."

"Okay" he said and flicked his cigarette to the ground before lifting her over his shoulder and putting her down on his bike. He took the camera from her and taped her sitting on his bike. "Now that's a sight."

She smiled and waved at the camera before reaching up and grabbing it out of his hands. "Lets go you goon."

* * *

Once they passed the sign telling them they had entered the Boise city limits Tig started looking for a 24 hour lodging facility. He finally pulled into the parking lot of a Motel 6 and helped Charlotte - yawning - off the bike. After checking in and finding their room Tig locked the door behind them. When he turned around he saw Charlotte standing next to the bed in just her leggings.

"One pair down, one more to go." she said seductively before jumping on him.

"Ohh-ho-ho." he chuckled leaning into her body as she pressed hard against his cock. He backed her into the wall and undid his pants quickly while she peeled her leggings off. When both were on the ground he slid her up higher on the wall and thrust up into her. She clawed at his back and laid her head against the wall as his force slammed her ass into the wall repeatedly. He moaned when she took his earlobe in her mouth and sucked gently on it before moving her mouth down to his neck and sucking on his skin. With every hard entry into her she exclaimed loudly until Tig put his hand over her mouth. After he got her to come the first time and she started slipping down the wall - her exhausted body too heavy for him to hold on his own - he tossed her onto the bed behind him face down, grabbed a fistful of her hair and started fucking her from behind until they both collapsed on the bed spent and satisfied.

* * *

The next morning Tig got dressed and folded up his kutte for Charlotte to put in her bag while he waited for her to get out of the bathroom. When she finally did she had her phone to her ear and was talking excitedly to someone.

"You are?!" she said, smiling at Tig's confused face. "Oh thank you so much, Indy...I feel so much better about this now…Where do you want to meet?...Do you know them?...Are you sure?...Okay, love you, see you soon."

"Who was that?" Tig asked

"That was my friend Indiana." she started explaining over his question. "She's an amazing tattoo artist and I called her to come do the tattoo."

"I thought you didn't want anyone to know you were getting it or at least why you were."

"Yeah, not anyone in Charming I don't." she said, throwing her bag onto her shoulder and flipping her hair to face him. She paused and started fidgeting, "Not any Sons, not now that I'm, well, now that you are..." her face got hot and she cleared her throat. "Anyway, only people on this hunk of rock in the sky that know about the brand are the HL in my charter and the Original Charter...and you." she put her hand on her hip "I thought that's why you suggested Idaho, there's no Sons charter out here. Imagine if we had stayed in Charming and I had my friend do it there?"

The pieces clicked and he started nodding then listed all the hypothetical scrutiny they would've faced "Who's she? Why's she getting a tattoo? Why'd this girl fly all the way out here? Why couldn't she just have one of our girls do it?"

"See," she said squeezing his face and kissing him on the lips, "I knew you were smart. You can wear this, you know." she said, handing him his kutte before walking out the door

"And, hey," he said, shrugging it on while closing the door behind them as they left. "I've never been to Idaho before."

"Yeah," she said, beaming at him. "Besides," her face softened a little "You needed this"

In response he just kissed her on the head and clipped the helmet on under her chin. He turned the camera on and pointed at her. "Day one...day only, in Idaho. Miss Harris, tell us where're you're off to?"

"Well" she said, puffing out her chest and sitting up on the bike, "We are going to meet a friend of mine a little later in the afternoon and right now we're...I don't know."

He chuckled looking down at her in the camera screen, "What do you mean you don't know?" she shrugged carelessly at him. "Oh well fans looks like that means Miss Harris and I will be staying in bed all day." he reached for her hand.

"Nooo" she chuckled, slapping his hand away from her. "Let's go for a ride."

He turned the camera to his face and said into the lens. "Take note men, ladies love the bike." he sat down on his Harley so they were both in frame

"They do" she added, nodding. "They really, really do. It doesn't have anything to do with the guy on it" she wrinkled her nose.

"Literally nothing" he agreed. She laughed musically in his ear. He closed the camera and passed it back to her before saying "I know where we'll go." and starting the engine.

* * *

As they drove through the city and began following signs on ID-21 to Boise National Forest she continued recording their surroundings watching the roadside construction become towering mountains and trees and they drove past a sparkling river. After a little less than two hours of riding pulled his bike into a small clearing and killed the engine.

"This is beautiful!" Charlotte exclaimed, turning the camera around to the tops of the trees surrounding them and the mountains peaking over their tops. She focused it back on Tig who was walking in front of her.

"Yeah it is." he agreed, turning back to her and taking her hand. She put the camera back down and just looked around while they walked until Tig spoke again. "How come you're cool with me calling you Charlie now?"

"Hmm?" she asked, turning to face him

"I called you Charlie back at the funeral and you didn't flip out."

She half smiled at him and shrugged, "Melinda would've liked you." she said touching her hand to his temple and dragging it down his face to rub his chin with her thumb. "I figure...they wouldn't mind - she and my parents - if you called me that too." She started walking again.

It was quiet for a long time while they hiked up farther from the bike and Tig smiled stupidly at her. "You know," she said suddenly "I never got it covered because I felt guilty." he looked at her while she continued "I didn't think it should be that easy for me to move on from what happened...and leave her behind."

"Shit Charlotte, that's not what you're doing." he said firmly "That scar will always be there but there's no reason why you have to go back there every time look at it. You gotta do shit down there!" he added comically "You shave your shit, you put lotion on, you...I don't know what else, that's all I've seen you do."

She laughed and pushed him playfully away from her. A thought suddenly struck her, "Oh my god!" she said excitedly, "I can go get waxed again!" she spun around. "Sweet Jesus thank you. Shaving in a small shower is definitely not up to my standards of grooming."

"I'm very happy for you" he said, placating her zealousness.

"Wait, when have you seen me shaving?"

"He look how cool that tree is over there!" he said, abruptly changing the subject and running towards a random tree. "It's great! It's got...bark."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Okay George of the Jungle. Lets start heading back."

"Nah," he said, moving closer to her. "No, no, no" he wrapped his arms around her lower back "Instead...lets fuck in the woods." She felt his hardness against just above her hip.

She pursed her lips in feigned impatience before pushing him up against a tree, pulling his pants down, and getting on her knees in front of him. When she took him in her mouth he softly moaned, "Ohhh fuck." She sucked her cheeks in around him and moved him in and out of her mouth. Pulling him out almost all the way she flicked her tongue against the fleshy underside of his tip causing his thighs to tense up. He put his hand on the back of her head and pushed her mouth back down his shaft gently. When he almost couldn't take it anymore he pulled her away from him by the hair and threw her to the forest floor. He ripped her pants open and yanked them around her ankles then pulled one ankle free before kicking her legs wide open so she laid - her hips writhing against the ground - exposed in front of him. When he was finally inside her he grabbed her wrists roughly and held her arms over her head while he moved inside her; her ass and back getting scraped and bruised by the twigs and rocks under her. It took him almost no time to finish since she had been sucking him off for so long and when he did he pulled out of her quickly and shoved his fingers into her. He pulled the hum of her shirts and the underwire of her bra up to her neck and took one of her nipples into his mouth and her other breast in his hand. Between his focused stimulation of her g-spot and the forceful licking and sucking of her nipples as he alternated his mouth between the two of them she squeezed gently around his fingers and her body slowly convulsed.

"Ahhh" she breathed, as her orgasm ended and her was out of her.

Tig jumped to his feet and pulled her up as well so they could brush themselves off and quickly put their clothes back on. "Maybe we should go back to the hotel real quick so you can have a shower before you get the tat." Tig said as he was smacking some of the dirt off her body.

"Good idea" she said and started leading the way back down the hill to his bike.

* * *

After eating some Jimmy John's on their bed in the hotel room they got into the shower together and rubbed each other's bodies with the motel soap before fucking again and heading back out just as the sun was setting.

"Where to?" he asked before getting on his bike.

"Scrimshaw Tattoo Studios." she said "Indy's friend owns it and she said they would keep it open for us."

"Alright" he said and headed toward the shop

When they got to the shop Charlotte had to knock on the door and wave at a thin blonde man with eyebrow piercings and and upcut.

"You must be Indy's friend!" he said enthusiastically when he opened the door and bent down to hug her. "Oh!" he said when he saw Tig walk up behind Charlotte, "Friends" he emphasized the 's'

"Charlotte?!" a vivacious Jamaican voice called to her from inside the shop.

Charlotte politely pushed past the man and ran to hug a muscular black woman with beautiful dreadlocks that had thin strands of multicolored hair winding through them. "Indy!" she cried and held her tightly

"I'm suh glad yuh called me f'ar dis" she said, pushing Charlotte's hair out of her face. Tig walking into the store caught her eye and she stopped smiling. "We closed" she informed him

"Oh, no, Indy" Charlotte ran to Tig and held his hand. "He's with me."

"Oo a yuh den?" she asked, her shrewd eyes scrutinizing him

"He's the reason I'm finally doing this." Charlotte said quickly "So be nice."

"Tig" he said, holding out his hand for Indy to shake before looking at Charlotte's face and coughing, "Um, Alex-Alexander."

Indy shook his hand firmly and turned to introduce her friend. "'S Matt"

"Nice to meet you" Charlotte said, shaking his hand. "How do you know Indy?"

"Competed against her at a convention." he said, flipping his hair out of his face "Bitch kicked my ass." he laughed "But she was too talented not to stay in contact with."

"'e's priti gud too." Indy said to Tig, "Inna caise yuh wer guh fi get sometin'"

"Oh yeah!" Matt said excitedly "Absolutely."

"You should" Charlotte told Tig, containing her laughter.

"Oh yeah? What should I get?"

"I don't know" she said, thinking. "A potato" she laughed

"Done" Tig said and turned to Matt "You lead the way"

"You are not!" Charlotte squealed

"You said get a potato, I'm getting a potato!"

"But-!"

"No, don't try and talk me out of it. I freakin' love it." He sat down on a leather parlour chair with a resolute look on his face.

"Okay then" she said, shrugging.

"Cum ya so" Indy said, leading Charlotte over to a table behind a privacy screen - her stomach started turning. "Still di siem thing wi talked bout?"

"Yeah" Charlotte responded, her throat dry.

Indy sat down on a rolling stool and pulled on a pair of gloves while Charlotte dropped her pants and laid down, nervously clutching the hem of her shirt. Indy looked into Charlotte's watery eyes and sighed, taking her hand. "Yu ready Beauty?"

Charlotte shook her head and squeezed a tear out of the corner of her eye, swallowing hard.

"Okay" she said, squeezing Charlotte's hand "Tell me bout yu man out deh."

Charlotte laughed and wiped the tear track leading into her hair with a finger. "He's not my man."

"Yu wouldn't get dis covered fa anyone else. Nuh Platte, nuh Sam, nuh yourself. Why 'im?"

Charlotte turned to look at her, breathing slowly as she thought. "It was time."

"Time be whole again." Indy said, nodding. "Doe 'e make you feel whole, Beauty?"

"He makes me feel good, really good."

"'e's ina an MC?" she asked, parting Charlotte's legs and swabbing the spot she was going to start, right on the brand, with alcohol, purposefully not looking at it.

"Yeah" tears started leaking out of Charlotte's eyes again when he friend started cleaning her brand

"Platte nooa?"

Charlotte scoffed, "Yeah he made a special visit all the way out to California just to check up on them."

"Oh Jah" Indy chuckled, shaking her head. "An 'e's still ab im bodi?" Charlotte laughed and nodded. Indy stood up and bent Charlotte's right leg so her foot was planted behind her left thigh, fully exposing her inner thigh so she would have an unimpeded area to work in. Charlotte started crying harder, her shoulders shaking. "That dem right, let it out Beauty." Indy said, patting her friend's knee before sitting back down. "Melinda wouldn't wan yu fi put yourself tru dis anymore" she nodded furtively down at Charlotte until she was nodding back. "Okay, we a go fi get dis shit covered. When mi a done you'll tink it dem completely gone."

Charlotte put her hand to her mouth. "I want another one then" she said, shaking the tears from her eyes. "I want her name on my pinky."

Indy nodded, "Anytin yu wan. Mek we get started."

Charlotte closed her eyes when Indy started the tattoo gun and clenched her jaw when she put it to her skin. Indy made quick work of starting the pattern she was using for the lace over the brand, making two blooming floral curves right over the left and right crooks of the swastika with a pattern of reflected vector swirls stemming from them. She surrounded the design with small, connecting hatch marks that created the lacey background for the embroidered design of it.

When the brand was completely obscured Indy put the gun down and smiled at Charlotte, "It dem gone fi, Beauty." she said, taking her hand in both of hers

A whimper escaped Charlotte's lips when she breathed a sigh of relief and she started laughing, a smile breaking across her face. "Oh my god." she said, amazed

"Dat weight dem been lifted." Indy said triumphantly and pat Charlotte on the arm reassuringly.

When the design started travelling up over the top of her leg Tig and Matt came around the screen. "Hey!" Tig said, "How's it going in here?"

"Great!" Charlotte said, sitting up as much as she could. "Let me see it."

Tig reached his right arm to his left shoulder and showed her impeccably shaded, small potato right above his elbow. Charlotte just covered her mouth and laughed silently. "Here" Tig said, giving her the camera. He held his pose while she took a picture of him then took the camera and started recording her.

"Ugh, Tig" she said, turning away from him.

"No come on this is a big...awesome. This is a BIG awesome." he bumbled "You're gunna look so hot. Shit, are you freehanding that?" he asked Indy

She simply nodded, deep in concentration.

"Indy's known what I wanted for a long time." She said, smiling down at her friend. "She works better when it just flows, you know?"

"Hey, cool" Tig shrugged

"Matt, I was wondering if you'd be willing to tattoo a name on the inside of my pinky finger." Charlotte asked

"You want to get two tats at once?" he asked in disbelief "Sweetie, that's really going to hurt."

"I can take it" she nodded reassuringly, straining her neck to look at him.

"Alright" he said shrugging and collapsing the privacy screen so he could pull the stool and the gun station from the chair next to her over to her right side. "You're lucky I love what I do" he said, winking at her

"I really appreciate it" she said, smiling

"Me too" Indy interjected

Tig moved to to stand at the end of the table where Charlotte's leg was extended. When Matt started up the other gun Tig said into the camera, still pointing it at Charlotte, "Look at this badass belle: two guns piercing her skin at once."

"I'm not exactly turning water into wine, here" she said, laughing

"Yeah well I never heard anyone here say you were Jesus, so…"

In response she just stuck her tongue at him through the camera.

"Hey, Indy. You should work a crow into that design somehow" he smirked and kept the camera focused on Charlotte

"Ha. Ha." Charlotte said, smoothing down her shirt "Like that's going to happen."

"You never know." he said softly. She blinked at him, taken aback by this proclamation, then turned away so he couldn't see the giddy smile that crossed her face.

Matt was cleaned and covered Charlotte's finger then moved out of the way for Tig to sit next to her and hold her hand as she was wincing in pain after almost three hours of work being done to her leg. The three of them sat talking to one another while Indy focused, looking back on her previous work for reference and continuing to work, until Indy stood up to take a break before Charlotte needed to roll over. Matt cleaned and covered the completed part of her leg so that it wouldn't get irritated against the slick leather of the table. After everyone settled back in - Tig and Indy switching places - and Charlotte's hand was back in Tigs she slowly fell asleep face down on the table.

* * *

A few hours later Indy woke her up by shaking her hips. She lifted her head slowly and stretched, feeling the pull of medical on the skin around her leg.

"Is it done?" she asked, groggily

"Yeah" Indy said, her voice strained and tired, helping her down off the table.

Charlotte stepped lightly over to the wall length mirror and slowly peeled the bandage off her leg to look at the two inch thick intricate lace design that wrapped around her thigh. The whole design that started on her brand was centered in those two inches and the rest was filled in by half the design over it and one under. This pattern repeated close together throughout the psuedo-lace and was surrounded by small hatch marks that created the realistic lace look with their miniscule diamonds. All of this was framed by delicate pearl drop curls as the hem of the purported lace. Without touching the place she knew the brand to be she looked at the spot in the mirror and tried to find it. When she couldn't, she started crying again.

"My friend" she said genuinely, turning to Indy. "Thank you so much"

Indy pulled her close, holding back the lump in her throat from becoming tears, "Of course. Yu yar nuh plagued by dat 'atred anymore." she stood back and wiped the tears from her friend's cheeks. "Mi a so 'appy fa yu."

"Tig" Charlotte shouted to his sleeping form from her place in front of the mirror. He jolted awake, his eyes out of focus. "Come look at it."

He smiled and got up to take a closer look, "That's so hot." he moved his face closer, "Wow, that's really amazing work" Indy nodded with a smile on her face in humble agreement.

"How long are you gunna be in Idaho for?" Charlotte asked Indy.

"Fi mi light leave inna..." she shook her watch down her arm to look at it. "Oh, shit, an hour and a half." She snapped her fingers at Matt, "Yu a gonna drive me a di airport?"

"Absolutely." Matt said, stretching and hopping down from where he was sitting on a table across from them.

Charlotte got two new large pads and wrapped them up against her sore tattoo with a gauze bandage then pulled slowly pulled her pants up over it. "Ahh" she groaned painfully "This is going to be a bitch to ride home on."

"You're tough, though. You can take it." Tig responded and winked at her.

Charlotte walked over to her purse and started digging for her wallet. She took out a handful of cash out of it and turned to give it to Indy who shook her head and refused it. "C'mon Indy, you flew all the way out here!"

"No." Indy said firmly

"Indy…"

"No." she said more firmly

"At least let us pay for your airfare." Tig said, forcing his own money into her hand after having paid Matt for both his and Charlotte's tattoos.

"Alex…" Charlotte began, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up Charlie" he said, smiling and stroking her head before kissing her briskly

When Indy heard Tig call Charlotte she stopped packing up her things and her eyes shot up to look at Charlotte, expecting her to be enraged but, instead, she saw her smiling back at him sweetly. "Wow" she said, "yu really love him nu yu?" Charlotte's head snapped to look at Indy, her eyes wild and her cheeks flushed from the embarrassment. "Oh. A wha?" she said laughing innocently and looking between Charlotte and Tig. "Well, it was really nice to see yu." She took Matt's arm and led the four of them towards the door.

Charlotte hip-checked Indy lightly and grabbed her hand, smiling mischievously when they were outside and Matt was locking the door behind them. "I love you and your big, Jamaican mouth. You know that right?"

"Sorry Beauty." Indy replied and burst into hushed laughter. Charlotte stood there with her head on Indy's shoulder and their arms wrapped around each other for a few minutes before the separated and dabbed their eyes before finally parting and saying goodbye.

Tig and Charlotte watched as Indy and Matt drove off before her turned to her with his arm around her shoulder and said, "Back to Charming?"

"Back to Charming." she agreed, smiling at him before mounting the bike together and driving off.


	17. Home Sweet Charming

A week after returning from Idaho Charlotte was sitting on a couch at the clubhouse with her feet raised against the wall and reading a book when some of the members of SAMCRO walked in from the lot.

"Do you live here yet?" Clay asked her, sitting in the armchair adjacent to where she was on the couch.

She swung her body around so her feet were on the ground and took her glasses off to look at the men who had gathered around her. "You have cable" she said shrugging and winking at him, causing him to chuckle and smile widely at her.

"Yeah 'cable'" Chibs said, making air quotes with his fingers. They all laughed and she rolled her eyes.

"Bobby getting out this week?" she said Clay

He scoffed bitterly and shook his head, "They're completely giving Rosen the run around."

"It's almost two weeks since his case got thrown out." Juice said in disbelief

"Yeah," Clay said "I'm about to go break the hairy motherfucker out myself." They all laughed

"I don't see how they can do this to him." Charlotte said, getting up and pouring herself a glass of water at the bar.

"It's that ATF gash-" Juice began before he saw the stern look Charlotte flashed at him, "Um, bitch?" She winked at him approvingly then he continued. "It's pretty clear she's completely insane."

"Especially after ol' Otto did a number on her pretty little mug." Chibs added

Everyone was smiling fondly at the memory of Agent Stahl's face when Tig finally came bursting in through the front door.

"Where's Charlotte?" he asked walked right past her, out of breath "She still here?"

Everyone turned to look at her and the Prospect pointed behind Tig lamely. "I'm Charlotte." she said, waving her hand and looking bemused.

He walked over to her at the bar and leaned close to her, catching his breath before saying quietly; with a smile. "I bought a house."

"Huh?" she said, turning her ear to hear him better

"I bought a house!" he repeated, smiling bigger

"Why?" she said, furrowing her brow but he didn't hear her because everyone behind him got to their feet and pat him on the back congratulating him.

After muttering his thanks and looking sheepish he turned back to Charlotte. "Live with me."

She smiled momentarily then covered her mouth trying to force it off her face, "I don't know." she said indifferently "I just finished unpacking." she sighed as though this were a huge inconvenience but he knew, having seen the smile cross her face, that she was just being difficult. She made eye contact with his smiling face and she couldn't contain it anymore. "Yes!" she shouted excitedly.

"That's my girl!" he said grabbing her by her extended arms and pulling her over the bar into his.

"Ah!" she squealed, hugging him before he put her back on the ground.

"Thank God that's not a fucking secret anymore." Clay said, passing shots around to everyone in the clubhouse. Charlotte looked at him, surprised. "Are you kidding me? You think numbnuts here knew how to shop for a house on his own? Gem helped him" Tig pushed him in the arm and downed the shot in his hand.

"So," she said after swallow the stinging alcohol as well "do I get to see it?"

"Oh! Before I forget." Clay called after the two of them before they left the clubhouse "Dinner tonight."

"You got it." Tig said, holding Charlotte's hand and pushing out onto the lot.

A few blocks into the residential part of town Tig stopped the bike in the driveway of a small Cape Cod style cottage with pale yellow siding and light blue shutters. She looked past her disdain for the colors of the house and walked up the driveway to the front door with a smile on her face. Inside the entryway a coat closet was directly to their right and a small, wrought iron railing to the right to keep the entrant from falling down the small step down into the recessed livingroom where there was stained white carpeting and a good sized fireplace that was tiled with a beautiful travertine limestone with tan and gold undertones with dark mineral deposit outlines. She ran her hand over the tiled fireplace before stepping up into the dining room and looking at the hardwood floor and simple golden fixture hanging from the ceiling above where a table would go.

"There's probably enough room for a six person dining table and a buffet cabinet for booze." she said smiling at him over her shoulder

"Sure" he said, chuckling before they walked into the kitchen.

"I wouldn't do a thing to this room" she said, looking around at the cabinets stained to look like mahogany topped with granite countertops that were a pale, bluish-slate color mixed with the same hue of a brownish-tan. All the appliances were stainless steel and seemed new within the last two of three years.

"Me either." he said, nodding around at the fifteen by ten square feet around them. "It's a good thing too because this is what hiked the price up."

Charlotte walked down the stairs off the kitchen and just looked out into the half finished basement with washer/dryer hook ups. "At least I won't have to drag your laundry to the laundromat anymore" she said after she was back in the kitchen with him. Through the hallway from the kitchen that lead them to the other room in the front of the house there was a decent sized half bath for guests. The other front room was pretty basic and had potential to be a library or an office due to the semi-privacy offered by the hall closet that made a half wall that separated it from the hall. It also could be a guest room because of the closet in the corner.

Walking up the stairs had them directly facing the bathroom door straight ahead, the door to one of the bedrooms to the left and the linen closet down the hallway to the right. Adjacent to the linen closet was the door to the other bedroom. Both bedrooms were comparable in size and had walk-in closets. The bathroom had a generously sized tub and shower combination set into the wall with a double sink across from it. They clamored back downstairs and went through the kitchen and out the back door to stand on the deck and survey the yard.

"So, what do you think?" Tig asked rather nervously.

"I think it's perfect." she said, kissing him on the cheek.

* * *

Charlotte brought her things gradually over to the new house with the help of SAMCRO while they also painted and did light renovations. The living room was painted a pale, muddy coral color that looked like the underside of a faded seashell. She decorated it with the same tan and gold colors that were in the fireplace and accented it with a deep sea green in the pillows and picture frames she bought. The wrought iron railing was replaced with a sturdy wood one that matched the hardwood floors in the hallway. They changed the navy walls in the dining room to ones that were a light squash color to contrast the warm, dark wood of the dining room set they now owned and cut the walls that came in a couple of feet on either side of the split between the living and the dining rooms in half so that there was a whole, unobscured sightline from the dining room into the living room and vice versa. The carpet in the second room on the first floor was removed completely so that Charlotte's desk chair could move freely without catching on the fibers while the carpet in the living room was replaced with plush deep tan carpeting to complement the fireplace. In their bedroom she painted the accent wall behind their black headboard a burnt cherry color and the other a muted grey that was two shades lighter than the grey comforter with white geometric circles she had on their bed.

She was filling the drawers of the black stained dresser in their bedroom with her clothes when Tig bounded up the stairs and fell on their bed.

"Spend any more of my money today?" he asked and kicked her playfully in the backside.

"Excuse you?" she said, raising her eyebrow at him in the mirror above the dresser

"Ah c'mon, you know I'm kidding." he said and sat back up. "So, the basement has a floor and walls." he informed her

"Good" she said happily, "I think they're coming with the washer and dryer in the next two days too so that's perfect."

She laid down on the bed and pulled him down next to her so they were both looking up at the ceiling. "When did we get so old?" he asked

"Well, you've always been this old." she said, propping herself up on her elbow and looking at him. He slapped her hard on the ass and bit his lower lip. "But" she said playfully and crawled off the bed to get a box that had come in the mail "I have something to make you feel a little younger."

She bit her thumb and bounced her feet against the side of the bed while she watched him open it. "What is it?" he asked, pulling out a bundle of black straps. She picked up the paper that had gotten stuck on the top of the box and handed it to him. He read it for a second then his eyes widened and he sat up next to her. "A sex swing?!"

"Uh-huh" she nodded, smiling

"Home ownership is the best thing that ever happened to me" he said laying her down in the bed and climbing on top of her and kissing her.

She giggled and kissed him back, "I know, right?" she said into his lips.

He stopped and pulled back abruptly, looking at her very seriously. "Not just home ownership" he began. "Charlotte, I-"

"Char, honey?!" Gemma shouted her name from up the stairs "I'm here. You ready to get started?"

"Fuck" Charlotte said, resting her head against Tig's before standing back up. "I gotta get stuff ready for the party tonight."

"Yeah" he said absentmindedly

When she reached the first floor Gemma was already in the kitchen prepping for the housewarming party she was throwing for Charlotte and Tig.

"You really did a lovely job with this place" Gemma said, waving her hand around with the knife still in it

"Well if I had left it up to Tig you'd be cutting that cucumber looking at a dining room papered with playboy centerfolds.

"Yeah, no shit." she said, laughing and going back to cutting.

"You know," Charlotte said while she gathered some plates to put out "I got us a sex swing." Gemma raised her eyebrows and smirked "And you'd think it was like a revelation about that being the whole reason he bought the house. It's going to become his high tech sex dungeon, he's going to get bored of me and," she snapped her fingers "that's it, I'm gone."

"Oh, honey." Gemma said, putting down the knife to look Charlotte straight in the eyes "Insecure is not a good color on you. Period."

"I know, I know" Charlotte agreed, pouring them both a bottle of wine. "That's so not me."

"I know." Gemma nodded and took a sip and went back to cutting, "You can vent as much as you want because no matter how much we like keeping them around men are fucking morons." Charlotte chortled into her glass, "But, I'll tell you right now, when you got back from Idaho and you were sleeping in that cum depository that is Tig's room after a couple of nights he came to me and said he wanted a house, just so you and he could - in his words - 'Have a bathroom we can each brush our teeth in at the same time and have a life and shit.' And lets just talk about Tig brushing his teeth first off." Charlotte laughed outright. "Seriously, though" Gemma continued "I've seen Tig in love only once before and even then it wasn't like this. He respects you, he's a little scared of you and he adores you. In my book, in our life, that's the perfect combination of emotions."

"I guess you're right" Charlotte said, smiling at Gemma and setting out the rest of the flatware

"What's the final headcount?"

"Four" she said, counting her, Tig, Gemma and Clay, "Six" she counted up to Tara and Jax. "Seven, eight, nine." Chibs, Juice and Luann. "Piney's with the kids, Prospect got stuck watching the shop, Bobby's _still_ in prison and Opie's on his walkabout." Charlotte looked at her dining room table, "Do you think I should turn the table sideways a little bit so we can fit the extra three people?"

Gemma looked over into the dining room, "Yeah I think that will help a little in terms of elbow room."

Clay lead the few members of SAMCRO through the front door just as Charlotte and Gemma had finished laying out the food an hour later.

"Rosen called, Bobby's coming home tomorrow!" he announced jovially

"Oh that's great!" Gemma said, walking over to Clay and kissing him

"Finally" Charlotte said at the same time greeting all the men with a swift kiss on the cheek.

"Where's Tig?" Juice asked, looking around.

"Probably up there assembling something we got in the mail today." she walked up some of the steps and bent over so her voice would travel when she called his name up into the second floor. Juice stood behind her his eyes darting from the cup in his hands to her ass in the tight black skirt she was wearing, her new tattoo peaking out from the hem.

"I was taking a shit." Tig replied, bounding down the stairs toward her, buckling his pants

"Good for you." she said, standing back up.

Before she did Tig saw Juice's eyes on Charlotte's ass and he was spurred to barrel down the stairs at him. In an attempt to escape his beating Juice side-stepped down into the living room with a mischievous smile on his face, "Tig-TIG, man relax." he chuckled when Tig grabbed him by the back of the neck.

"Alex," Charlotte said, grabbing his arm "what the heck? Leave him alone."

Tig released Juice and pushed him into the mantel, "He was looking at your ass!" he explained

"So?" Charlotte said and grabbed Tig by the waist with one hand and ran her hand up his neck. "Let him look." she kissed him deeply and slid his hand up her ass causing all the men in the room to whistle and shout.

"Oh, great," a snide voice said from the doorway "dinner and a show."

Tig relinquished Charlotte from his grasp for her to turn and face Jax and Tara who had just walked in the door. She held the smart remark that passed behind her lips and instead smiled and said politely, "Glad you guys came." She watched as Jax greeted Clay and Tig curtly, avoiding eye contact with them before moving to stand with the other members of SAMCRO.

"We brought you this." Tara said pushing a bottle of wine into Charlotte's hands. "Happy housewarming" she shook her hair out of her face and looked around the room.

Just in time Gemma walked over to break the tension between Charlotte and Tara, handing them both an overly full glass of white wine. After a half hour of small talk Charlotte rejoined Gemma in the kitchen and set out the plates they had piled with lemon pepper chicken, crisp asparagus with garlic and oil and a hefty helping of creamy rosemary mashed potatoes. When dinner was over Jax and Tara left the party soon afterwards apologizing half-heartedly and saying Tara had work in the morning.

"Got anymore of those potatoes, luv?" Chibs asked from his place on the couch after the spliff in his hand had whittled down.

"Yeah" she said, smiling. "There's some more in the kitchen." he thrust the lit joint into her hand as he hopped off the couch and went to go get some more.

Tig unconsciously plucked the joint from Charlotte's hand and held it back out for Chibs to take without even taking a drag for himself.

"Aw, c'mon, Char." Juice said, "You don't partake?"

"No" she said, shaking her head softly

"She's a pruuuuuude" Chibs said, plopping back down with the whole bowl of potatoes in his arms, eating it with a small spoon

"Charlotte can't have it." Tig said, handing it back to Chibs

"Oh my god, you're pregnant!" Juice said excitedly

"No!" Charlotte replied in disgust. She caught Tig examining her out the corner of her eye and turned to face him. "No." she said, jolting him for the scenarios running through his head. "I have an IUD for Christ's Sake."

"Oh" Gemma said from the arm of Clay's chair, "I was wondering why No Glove over here hadn't gotten you in trouble yet."

Charlotte laughed with her and took another swig of wine. She realized that the subject of her drug use had not, unfortunately, been dropped she she cleared her throat and admitted, "It's part of my program. Marijuana is a gateway drug."

The room was quiet for a second aside from the sounds of Chibs smacking down the potatoes. "She's fine now." Tig said firmly looking around at everyone

"Yeah" she assured them, "I'm really lucky. I mean, I'm not even really an addict. The only problem is momma didn't raise me to go to some quack shrink every time I broke a nail so when the goin' got tough I got gone." she looked at Tig and smiled "I don't want to go anywhere now, though." he kissed the side of her head "I could smoke a blunt and pop ecstasy and be fine. I just choose to take a more stringent approach to my sobriety."

"So before you became Lady Charlotte you were all kinds of freaky." Clay observed, chuckling

"She still is sometimes." Tig joked, licking Charlotte's face. "I wouldn't make just anyone my Old Lady, you know?"

"I don't know how appropriate that phrase is for the two of you." Chibs said groggily "You're like twice her age."

"Fuck off Chibsy" Tig said, kicking him.

Gemma saw the way Charlotte was looking at Tig after he called her his Old Lady. Noting the increased rate in her breathing and her eyes travelling slowly down his neck and torso she got up and announced, "Alright guys, time to go." She grabbed the glasses from the group's hands and lost the fight trying to pry the bowl of mashed potatoes from Chibs' hands.

"Charlotte" he whined, hugging the bowl to his chest, away from Gemma

"You can take them with you." Charlotte said, chuckling and standing up to say goodbye as Gemma ushered everyone out the door.

When Tig turned around from locking the door behind them Charlotte ripped his shirt open, popping the buttons from his shirt and slamming his back into the door. She dragged her teeth down the front of his torso, nipping at his skin until her was on her knees in front of him and took him into her mouth. After the veins of his cock were bulging with the excess blood running through them and it was covered in her saliva her pushed her back onto her elbows onto the stairs behind her. Hooking his hands behind her knees he ripped her underwear off and pushed her skirt up so he could enter her. She braced her arms against the walls on either side of her and screamed in a mixture of pleasure from her pounding inside of her and pain at the angry red burns that were sprouting on her back and legs from being rubbed violently against the rug on their stairs.

* * *

"Holy shit" he said, looking at the ceiling from their bed an hour later, thinking back through the scenes of their rabid love making. "What was that?"

"You called me your Old Lady." she said, her voice cracking from all the screaming, and rubbing her face against his pectoral.

Tig blinked and pulled her closer, "Of course I did." he cleared his throat "I love you." he said matter of factly. He had just closed his eyes when he rested his head against hers when she was back on top of him, rubbing his dick and kissing him until she was able to slide it into her again.


	18. Ablification

After spending the day of Bobby's release at work - spending the day in Stockton's town hall at the family brunch that her company had put together for the prostitutes they worked with and leading a talking circle for the girls starting their detox programs - Charlotte was happy to be home.

She realized the house was empty after calling Tig's name when she walked in the door. Alcatraz had died a few days after they got back from Idaho but Charlotte had taken it really well since she had been anticipating it, due to the cat's old age but still wasn't used to coming home to someplace so empty.

When she got to their bedroom and turned to the mirror above the dresser, starting to take off her earrings, she saw a piece of paper taped to it. ' _Bobby's coming home! Poor bastard has been in jail for over a month...dress to impress.'_

 _Dress to impres_ s, she thought, biting her lip before curling it into a smile and disappearing into their closet.

* * *

Tig turned around when he saw Charlotte's Chevy pull into the lot and started walking towards it to greet her before he stopped in his tracks, seeing her step out of the car. Her head appeared into view first and he saw her hair wound into thick, loose curls and teased behind a folded black bandana tied around her head. When that beautiful face of hers turned to look at him over the hood of her car his heart skipped a beat as her glittering, smoky lids blinked over her sparkling green eyes and her glossy lips parted into a sweet smile. His eyes travelled down the slope of her neck to the thin black straps that were holding her bra and the lace bralette crop top on over her breasts, accentuating her cleavage. The delicate lace of the top dropped down past the supportive black underlay and stood out out against the creamy skin of her upper abdomen that contrasted its intricate design. As she walked closer to him the sinewy line of glittering hip jewelry caught the light and drew his eyes down past her toned abdomen and curve of her waist and to the low rise, light wash cutoffs she was wearing. Her hips swung at the will of her long, legs; their muscles becoming more defined with each stride toward him from the strain of walking in the high, black stilettos she was wearing. His eyes travelled back up her body at double the speed they traveled down and focused on her face just in time for her to pull him close and kiss him.

"How was your day, Mr. Trager?" she asked, running her hand down the front of his kutte and looking up at him through her thick, black lashes

"Much better now." he said, kissing her again. "Man, I love you baby" he brushed her hair off her shoulder and rubbed it roughly with his fingers.

"I love you too, Alex" she said, smiling then looking around before walking toward the portico off the side of the clubhouse where everyone was gathered. "What" she said exasperatedly, "does a lady have to do to get a drink around here?" Juice and Kip scrambled to their feet and both ran inside, pushing each other out of the way. Charlotte sat down on the tire Juice had vacated, Tig standing behind her with his hand resting between her shoulder blades.

Moments later Juice burst back outside and bent down to hand Charlotte a beer but Kip was close behind with a solo cup full of what appeared to be rum and coke. "Oooh" Charlotte said, wincing at Juice before taking the drink Kip was holding out to her, "Momma likes her hard liquor." Juice stood back up and drank from the beer himself, his shoulders hunched. "Thanks Kippy." she kissed him on the cheek causing Kip to smile until he saw Tig looking menacingly at him then he scurried back inside.

Gemma came out past Kip and gave Clay a kiss before saying, "What's the kids problem."

"Blue balls" Chibs replied. Laughter erupted from the men around them.

Charlotte stood up and offered her seat to Gemma and greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks. "I love it when you shed those prissy-pants outfits you wear for work." Gemma said, looking Charlotte up and down.

"Thanks, I guess" Charlotte said, laughing with Gemma. "Hey, babe, you gunna fight tonight?" she asked, looking up at Tig.

"Nah" he said, shrugging. "I don't need to."

"Okay" she said smiling and kissing the back of his hand. "Good, because I want you to be able to use these hands later tonight." everyone snickered

* * *

An hour or two later the party was in full swing, the fires lit and the booze flowing as more people arrived and were milling around anxiously anticipating Bobby's return. Charlotte had just left her spot with a cluster of croweaters she had become semi-close with and stood next to Gemma and Luann.

"It must be hard for you." Gemma said, holding Charlotte by the shoulders supportively. "The only thing you have in common with them" she gestured around to the gaggle of women filling the yard, "is your age and it's the only thing you don't have in common with us." she referred to herself and Luann.

"I've had more in common with them than you'd think." Charlotte said, sighing heavily

"Yeah but you don't anymore" Gemma said

"Besides," Luann interjected "underneath whatever you think you have with them they're still jealous of you. You have what every last girl in this yard wants and you took the one in, what," she tried to count the single members of SAMCRO, "...five chance they had at getting it. Once Tiggy moved you into that house of his and flat out said you were his Old Lady you became a real threat to these girls."

"She has a point" Gemma said, nodding and shrugging, "Everyone knows Tig's not serious about anything. Their going to test him, test you - and try and unseat you as his Old Lady while he's still in the mood for one." she turned her head to where Tig was standing, the same leggy, raven-haired girl from the fight hanging on his arm, and jutted her chin at them for Charlotte to look too. She plucked Charlotte's cup from her hand and said darkly, "You gotta educate."

Luann nodded next to Gemma, her face set.

Charlotte's eyes darted between the two of them and when Gemma raised her eyebrows and tilted her head Charlotte groaned and strode over to where Tig was standing with Chibs and Half-Sack and the random girls that were hanging on them.

Tig stood up straight in an attempt to put space between him and the croweater next to him, "Hey Charlie." he said, clearing his throat.

She just smiled at him and put her hands on her bare hips; staring at the girl next to him until she finally acknowledged Charlotte was there.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked combatantly

"I was just about to ask you the same question." Charlotte said, flipping her hair off her shoulder with her delicate, manicured hand. Tig backed away into Chibs who grabbed him around the chest and watched, delightedly, over Tig's shoulder.

"It's a free country." the girl said, shrugging and taking a swig of beer.

"Well, it's good to see you have at least an eighth grade education." Charlotte said in that dangerously sweet voice she was famous for, narrowing her eyes. "But maybe you should brush up a little more on your current events." she pointed at Tig, "That dick," she squared up and stood over the croweater "is taken" she smiled and backed away from the girl, thinking her education was complete.

"Ha!" the girl said bitterly, "Tig Trager's dick may as well set up a freelance satisfaction company. Besides, I've seen you around here before...Tig doesn't like girls with things already shoved so far up their ass that it removes their personality."

"Oh, and what was the last beauty pageant you won Miss Congeniality for, hmm? Miss Southern California's Cumdumpster 2006?" Charlotte advanced toward the girl but Tig stepped in front of her quickly to keep her at bay.

"He's not going to stay around for long!" the girl shouted at her over Chibs' shoulder who was holding her back. "No matter what you wear or how many tats you get he is never going to stay with some holier than thou stick in the mud."

Instead of firing back Charlotte just smirked, quickly turned around, grabbed Kip by the front of his shirt and dragged him into the clubhouse. She knew now what she had to educate the croweaters pecking at her heels on: not that Tig belonged to her but that she was the girl that someone like Tig Trager would've chosen and that she was going to keep him entertained enough to stick around.

After pushing Kip over to the sound system and shoving a CD into his hands Charlotte saw Tig burst through the doors just as she go on the pedestal of the stripper pole. She stared at his frozen face with a smile on hers as people piled in through the door behind him and surrounded her. When he sat down on the seat right in front of the pole she turned to Kip, shouted, "Hit it!" and turned her back to the audience.

The loud guitar solo and drum beat at the beginning of "Do You Wanna Touch Me" by Joan Jett began pounding from the speakers. She stomped her right foot on every downbeat and let the music flow through her body until the double clap when she whipped her head around to look over her shoulder then dropped into a squat when Joan's voice overshadowed the music now in the background. She held onto the pole and rolled her abdomen against it, turning her body to the side so she could look over her left shoulder into Tigs eyes then rolled her shoulders slowly back so her curtain of hair was covering her ass and she was looking at the crowd upside down. She popped her hip and snapped her head back up simultaneously.

" _...I'm a natural man, doin all I can…"_

Charlotte spread her legs wide on either side of the pole with her hands still wrapped around it and started pulling herself upwards, putting one hand over the other until she was three feet off the ground and everyone was shouting at her. She wrapped both legs around the pole, holding it in the crook of her knees then let go so she was only holding on with one hand and spreading the other out before running it through her hair and spinning around the pole and down until she was back on her feet again, crouched down next to it; posed with her wrist resting on her knee. Looking through the strands of hair that fell in front of her face she winked at Tig who was bent forward and watching her intently, not registering the presence of anyone else in the room with them. She got back to her feet and used the pole to spin around and show her ass to the crowd again, rolling her hips; bending her knees up and down while she did it.

" _...Do you wanna touch…?"_

She ran her hands up her body and grabbed her breasts firmly before shouting "Yeah!" along with the song, licked her thumb and ran it down her neck and chest and egged the crowd to shout along with the second "Yeah!" She got down on the floor and dragged her hands down her body until they rested on her jean shorts and thrust her hips into the air on the the third, 'Yeah' - the crowd's shouting overshadowing the voice coming from the stereo. She rolled around onto her hands and knees and humped the stage on the downbeats before flipping her hair around and standing up again then ran and jumped onto the pole, grabbing it with both hands and clenching it between her thighs with one leg extended over her head. Rolling her head around on her neck and heaving her breasts up toward the poll she swung back down then fell to her knees again and started crawling toward Tig.

" _...Every growin' boy needs a little joy…"_

When she was on her knees in front of him she ran her hand up his thighs, slowly puffing her chest in and out to the beat, before sitting back on her heels and ripping her bralette open by the clasps between her breasts in front of him. She grabbed his knees and pulled them roughly apart then slid her body up his until he was staring at her breasts, confined within the sequinned black bra she was wearing. Standing in front of him, between his splayed legs, she moved her hips and stomped her foot again as she made eye contact with other members of SAMCRO while she touched her body until her hands were on her jeans and she was sliding them down off her hips. They hit the floor in front of Tig whose mouth was now open; fingers reaching toward the sheer fabric of her exposed boyshorts, and she walked away from him back to the pole where she swung around and squat in front of it, her now half-naked body glistening under the lights pointed at her.

" _...Do you wanna touch…?"_

She slid her thumb underneath her bra strap and pulled it down over her shoulder which spurred the men to shout, "Yeah!" even more enthusiastically. Tig was standing now, his jaw set and stance as though he were at the ready. When she hooked her thumbs behind her panties and pulled them down momentarily giving only a teasing glimpse of her bare ass before pulling them back up he charged, lifted her onto his shoulder to the dissatisfied shouts and 'boos' of the rest of the men and carried her into his old bedroom.

"Get out!" he shouted at the couple rolling around in his bed. In the candlelight they had lit Charlotte couldn't see their faces but they were quickly gathering up their clothes before running out the door past them.

Charlotte felt something in the bed crack under the great force of her body hitting it from him throwing her but paid no attention. She grabbed his face and kissed him hungrily, biting on his lower lip and raking her nails down his cheek and neck. He pulled away and undressed quickly, looking at her while she writhed on the bed beneath him. When he was completely naked he bent down and, with both hands, ripped her underwear off and left them - torn - under her. While he took his time looking her up and down she reached behind her and took her bra off hastily then laid back down just in time to take the fingers he rammed into her.

"Ah! Goddamn it!" she screamed, kicking him in the leg to let him know that he hurt her

"Tell me." he said, pushing his fingers deeper into her.

"Tell you what?!" she asked, suppressing a moan.

"Tell me it's mine." he said through bared teeth

She laughed at him and he felt his face get red and hot so he rubbed his fingers fiendishly against her g-spot. "Uh! Alex" she moaned in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

"Tell me." he said again, leaning into the arm that was pressed inside her

"It's yours." she admitted, breathlessly. "It's yours, it's yours. Oh!"

He had pulled his fingers out of her and was now grabbing her hips and pulling her onto his lap until he was inside her and she was dripping on his upper thighs while he made short, calculated thrusts up into her. She pushed his hair off his sweating forehead and pressed her cheek against it, closing her eyes; her breathing shallow and uneven. After a while he finally loosened his grip around her and she took the opportunity to dismount and lay him down on his back before sliding him back inside her again. He held on tight to her hips as she rose and fell on top of him and closed his eyes. With his eyes now closed Charlotte bent over, continuing to ride him, and picked up one of the lit candles on the bedstand. She subtly pinned his hands under her knees before tipping the candle and dripping the hot wax onto his exposed chest.

"Ahhhghh!" he screamed out in pain, his eyes snapping open.

She pressed her knees into his palms when he tried to pull them out from under her and grabbed his face with her other hand. "Now you tell me." she dripped more wax onto his chest. He screamed again but was smiling this time, delighting in the combination of the hot wax singeing his skin and her tight, wet pussying cuffing his throbbing cock. He took too long to respond so she dripped more onto him, "C'mon now baby" she said, her voice hoarse, "I want to hear it before I cum. Say it." she nodded "Say it."

"It's yours. It's all yours" he said, smiling up at her.

She quickly blew out the candle and dropped it to the floor before releasing his hands from under her knees. When he was finally free he flipped her onto her back, keeping his dick inside her and started fucking her hard and fast, one leg on the bed; the other planted firmly on the floor for leverage. His thrusts slowed when he felt them mounting to a climax together but became more violent until, due to the digging of his leg and repeated slamming of her body into it - not to mention the hit it had taken when they first came in, the bed bottomed out underneath them.

"What the-ohhh!" Charlotte exclaimed when the bed broke but went back to moaning since the change of altitude hadn't phased Tig from powering through until they had both shouted in orgasm and fell limp in each other's arms.

After listening to the revelry outside for a long time just breathing together Charlotte turned her face up to Tig's. "I haven't said it yet." she coughed softly, "But I love you too."

He breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank god, I was actually getting really worried. Like I didn't want to be the asshole who said it first and you never said it back and I was, like, freaking out." she laughed and sat up on her elbows

"Well, I do." she whispered then kissed him "Can you get my clothes" she gestured toward the door.

"Yep" he got up, stepping over the broken bed frame, and went to collect her top and shorts from the clubhouse after getting dressed himself.

While he was gone she pulled her bra back on but left her torn boyshorts on the floor as a lost cause. Until he came back into the room she kicked around the splintered pieces of wood that were now scattered across the floor and smiled. When he did she dressed quickly so they could rejoin the party, not wanting to miss Bobby roll up in his ATF limo.

Before following Tig outside to the lot Charlotte hung back to get them both drinks. At the bar, she walked up behind the raven-haired croweater and cleared her throat. The girl spun around and shrunk back when she saw it was Charlotte behind her.

"Listen, lady-" she began, her eyes darting around the room looking for an escape

"What's your name" Charlotte asked calmly

The girl cleared her throat and sat up straight, "Delilah"

Charlotte laughed, touched her fingers to the bridge of her nose and muttered, "Of course it is." she shook her head. "Anyway, Delilah, I've decided to like you so, if I were you, I'd try as hard as I could to keep that going." she brushed a piece of long hair over Delilah's shoulder and tucked it behind her ear then grabbed her cheeks roughly, "Spread the word...Tig's Old Lady keeps him more than satisfied." She kissed Delilah forcefully on the lips, let go of her face, picked up her drinks and left.

When she got outside she saw people gathering around something in the yard. Thinking that Bobby had come home she pushed her way to the front of the horde with a big smile on her face until she saw man in a suit with salt and pepper hair facing Clay and a thick man with a crisp, white button up shirt squared off in front of Tig. When she saw the man, his arms flexed and dead eyes staring at Tig she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up but when another man standing farther back near the cars running on the lot turned to look at her and she saw the White Pride insignia tattooed across his chest and arms she tensed up and used all her energy to not drop the drinks in her hand or show any semblance of fear.

Tig saw her burst noiselessly through the crowd and his heart dropped. _If only she had stayed inside_ he thought uselessly. When she lifted her chin high in the air and glared at the men in front of her he welled with pride and thought, _That's right baby, don't let them get to you._ As though she had heard his thoughts her eyes met his and she nodded once at him then went back to examining the men confronting SAMCRO. Before they went back into their car Charlotte saw Gemma start to pass dangerously close in front of them. Dropping both drinks in her hand she bolted to Gemma's side but not in enough time to stop the man in the starched white shirt from bumping into her. She guided Gemma swiftly away from him, keeping her angry green eyes locked with the brown dead ones staring back at her.

"Do I know you?" he asked, softly. "You look familiar"

She advanced back toward him and growled, "Not on your life." he simply smirked but she stared him down until he was inside the car and it drove away with Tig following it menacingly down the driveway. Her gaze broke from the car and she quickly approached Gemma who was turning away from Clay and heading toward her car. "Gemma, stay here tonight." she said urgently

"What?" Gemma responded with a chuckle, "Why?"

"Just trust me" she said frantically 'That man-"

"Oh, please." she said rolling her eyes and putting a hand on her hip "I'm not scared of some Nazi bully."

"Gemma, please" she begged, tears welling in her eyes.

Tig had walked up behind her and said, "Hey, Charlie, you okay?" he touched her back

When she felt his fingers on her she jumped, "Dont! I'm fine!" she snapped at him and turned back to Gemma.

"Listen here" Gemma said, her voice low and tone biting, "We do not hide." she grabbed Charlotte's arm roughly. "If you don't have the spine to live this life you know where the door is."

"Gem, stop-" Tig said angrily, breaking her from Gemma's grip. "Maybe you should listen…"

"And you" she spat, turning to Tig. "You need to do what's right for this club, not what's right for your herpes infested cock." She got into the car and pulled out past them avoiding eye contact.

"UGH-AGH!" Charlotte screamed and pushed Tig away from her when he tried to wrap his arms around him then started punching his chest and arms.

"Okay, OKAY!" he yelled grabbing her and squeezing her until she calmed down. "It's going to be okay." he said, pulling her tighter as she tried to push free of him. He held her until she finally calmed down and stroked the back of her head with his hands.

"I'm sorry." she said pulling away slowly and looking up at him, her voice shaky

"I know" he said "It's okay." he sighed and looked off past her to where the car had disappeared then back at Charlotte. "Belle," her eyes shot to him when he used her hometown nickname "You have every right to be scared but I need you to funnel that fear into anger. Use it...for the club."

"Oh," she said narrowing her eyes, "I'm pissed. I've been pissed for seven years. I can do this." she nodded at him. "Anything the club needs, I'm ready."

These first signs of her loyalty to SAMCRO thrilled him and he pulled her close to him and kissed her head roughly. "You're amazing." he said, "C'mon, Gemma will be fine, let's wait for Bobby."

Bobby finally arrived at the clubhouse and, despite the general fun they were all having together again Charlotte couldn't shake the unsettled feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. When they got home hours later and laid down next to each other Charlotte found herself staring at the ceiling for far too long before finally drifting to sleep.


	19. Small Tears

Early afternoon the next day Charlotte awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She grabbed it and sat up.

"Hello" she said, unreasonably alert for someone who just woke up.

"Charlie" Tig said on the other line, she tensed at the tone of his voice "Gemma's in the hospital. She-"

Charlotte got off the phone quickly and ran to the closet and pulled out the first mostly appropriate things she could reach. After having stepped into a pair of cotton jeggings with w faux white washed jean finish she barrelled down the stairs while pulling on an oversized, sage colored crewneck sweatshirt that she started rolling up the sleeves on when she threw her brown leather purse over her shoulder before rushing out the door and peeling off toward the hospital.

"Where is she?" Charlotte cried when she burst through the doors of the waiting room. Tig rushed over to her, "I knew this would happen" she muttered shaking her head but before she could say anything else Tig pushed her face roughly into his chest to muffle her voice.

"She was in a car accident" he said, shaking Charlotte forcibly into a quiet submission. "Do you understand me? A car accident."

Charlotte's heart rate slowed when she looked up at Tig and nodded, "Okay." she said firmly then moved over to Clay, sat down next to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sure she's just fine" she said, running her fingers over his spiked hair and kissing him on the cheek. "Are we allowed to see her?" she asked the room at large, taking Clay's hand in hers.

"No" Tig said, looking down at his girl and his king, smiling at how sweet she was being to him.

"Oh, alright." she looked down at her hands and pulled her hair up into a messy bun before standing up. "I'm just gunna go...pray, then." she lied standing on her toes to kiss Tig on the cheek before ducking out of the waiting room and looking for Gemma's room.

She found it by spying Tara standing outside a door, writing in a chart. Charlotte pushed the straight blonde strands that were free from the bun out of her face and walked purposefully toward the door.

"Excuse me" Tara said, pushing Charlotte in the arm when she saw her reaching for the handle "You are not allowed in there." she laughed "You really think Gemma's going to want to see you when she doesn't even want to see Clay."

"Listen, bitch" Charlotte said impatiently "I know what happened" Tara blinked, taken aback, "and I need to talk to Gemma. So, if you wouldn't mind…" she started to push past Tara who attempted to hold her purposefully back by the arms. Charlotte struggled with Tara for a little before losing her patience entirely and slammed her head violently into Tara's forehead causing her to stumble back into the door. At this the door swung open violently and Gemma stood there, glowering at Charlotte and Tara through her swollen eye socket.

"Get the fuck in here, both of you. Now" Charlotte closed the door behind them and watched as Gemma limped back to her bed. "Why don't you just erect a fucking sign outside my door." she chastised them

"Gemma I tried…" Tara began but stopped when Gemma held up her hand.

"It's fine." she looked Charlotte up and down, "This one's okay." Charlotte just stood there, hugging herself while she looked at Gemma's broken face. "Give us a minute." Gemma said, noticing the urgency behind the look Charlotte was giving her.

"But Gemma-" Tara began again

"Oh go take a piss sample." Gemma snapped at her. Tara's face tightened and she left quickly afterward.

"So did you split the doctor's skull just to gloat?" Gemma said, looking away from Charlotte

"I'm disgusted that you would even think that of me." Charlotte responded, putting her purse down on the chair in Gemma's room. "I came here to show you something."

When Charlotte started taking off her pants Gemma sat up in bed. "You know I don't really think a fish taco is what I need right now." Charlotte rolled her eyes and ignored her before she climbed next to Gemma and exposed her inner thigh to her. "What am I looking at?" Gemma asked, looking at Charlotte's leg, "I've seen your tattoo, it's very nice. What the-" she exclaimed when Charlotte grabbed her hand and pressed it to where the brand was.

"Just feel it." she said "With your fingers, just trace it. Tell me what you would think it looked like to you."

Gemma concentrated and ran her finger over the scaly skin of the healed burn on her leg. "Is that...is that a swastika?" she asked, her voice quivering

Charlotte nodded and got back off the bed to pull her pants on. She started telling Gemma the story about her and her sister in Alabama and eased slowly back onto the bed next to her while Gemma listened, her face intentionally stony. "So," Charlotte finished "no, I didn't come here to gloat. I came here to tell you that you are my queen and I know what these sick fucks are capable of and I will do anything you need me to, to make them pay: for you, for me, for Melinda." she wove the pinky with her sister's name on it around Gemma's own and squeezed it.

Gemma sniffled after a few tears fell down her cheeks. "Thank you" she whispered through the lump in her throat and took Charlotte's whole hand in hers and held it.

"I should go to the chapel before Tig goes looking for me" Charlotte said after a while and stood up. "Now," she said before turning toward the door, "the part you aren't going to like is that you're going to have to talk about it." she held her hand up before Gemma could speak, "Not today, not a week from now, not even a month if you don't want to. The biggest mistake I made was keeping my grief and anger inside - that's when I started using - but, if you get out some of your anger a little at a time it won't consume you." she picked up her purse then smiled at Gemma who was looking daggers at her. "Maybe we'll go to the shooting range together." Gemma's face softened and Charlotte winked at her and squeezed her hand one last time before heading out the door.

Charlotte knelt down and crossed herself before sliding into one of the pews of the small chapel.

 _Hi momma,_ she thought, clasping her hands together in front of her and closing her eyes, _I miss you. I miss you too baby girl,_ she rubbed the inside of her pinky where Melinda's name was, _Anyway, I'm sure you've been aware of most of what's been goin' on. I know Virgil would like SAMCRO, especially Bobby and Clay. I know I'd never get his approval on Alex, though._ she chuckled, _You either...I know you wanted me to meet a nice, rich boy at college who was my own age. But, my life didn't really go that way and, momma, I love Alex._

As though on cue Tig turned into the chapel and sat down next to Charlotte, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her sweatshirt clad shoulder.

"Hey, babe" she said turning and kissing him after thinking a quick, _Love you momma, talk later._

"So you really into all this?" he asked, gesturing around at the chapel

"Momma raised us methodist." she explained, "It's just something I carry with me" she touched her chest over a heart, "for her. I'm not really into most of the religious stuff but it helps sometimes." she shrugged.

"That's cool" he said nonjudgmentally, "Listen, I saw the car. Gemma got into a car accident."

"Oh. No, I know" Charlotte said, stretching. "I just got a little crazy is all." She smiled at him to hide the lie she was telling.

He rubbed her back, "No one would blame you."

"Tig," Opie said popping his head into the chapel "Let's go, Clay needs us to pick up the shipment." He left and Tig straightened up next to Charlotte.

"What's up?" she inquired innocently

"Jax pulled some shit and started a war between the Mayans and the Niners" he said before standing up, "So...we're back in business with the Niners." he cracked his knuckles and winked at Charlotte before leaving.

Shortly after Tig left Charlotte wandered around the hospital until she saw Luann in another waiting room with a tiny blonde girl, even smaller than Charlotte with big, sad eyes holding a pack of ice to her cheek. The girl avoided eye contact with Charlotte when she walked into the room before Luann stood up and hugged her.

"Lyla, this is Charlotte, she's with the club." Luann introduced them

"Hi there" Charlotte said genuinely, holding out her hand for Lyla to shake and sat down next to her when she took it. "You know, back home, we would strap someone skinny as you down and force feed you the best fried chicken you ever did eat." She winked at Lyla who smiled sheepishly.

"Where's home?" she asked

"Alabama" Charlotte said, leaning in and tucking her hair behind her ear. "Don't you worry, darlin' those boys will make it right."

Luann smiled sweetly at the two young girls interacting. Charlotte was just continuously trying to get Lyla to laugh and talked to her about her little boy until an RN came to patch her up.

"You know," Luann said to Charlotte while Lyla was getting stitches, "You're real good with people, you know, when you wanna be." she laughed

Charlotte sighed and smiled, "Yeah, well I'm tryin' at least." she took Luann's hands in hers "How you doin' sweet thing? What's goin' on?"

Luann shook her head angrily, "This creep is trying to run my business down. Without the money I lent SAMCRO a while back I'm gunna go under and all these girls will be left to be used and abused by Georgie."

"No" Charlotte said, rubbing Luann's arm "SAMCRO won't let that happen. I'm sure they'll do something to help you out."

Just then a large black women appeared in the doorway and knocked softly until Charlotte turned around and made eye contact with her.

"Charlotte?" the woman asked. When Charlotte nodded she walked in and continued, "I'm Neeta, Able's…"

"Oh of course." Charlotte said, getting her bag. "I'll come with you."

"Abel's in the hospital?" Luann asked nervously

"Oh, um, he's just getting some tests. Nothing to worry about." she kissed Luann swiftly on the cheek and waved to Lyla before leaving and meeting Gemma in the hallway.

"Sorry" Gemma said, "Just didn't want…"

"Yeah, no, I get it." Charlotte said, helping Gemma walk out the side door, "Luann can be kind of a talker."

Gemma laughed hollowly as she focused on her steps, "That is an understatement. Take me to the club, yeah?"

"Sure thing Gem" Charlotte said, helping her down into the Nova.

"You parked this thing like shit." Gemma commented after Charlotte had gotten in the driver's seat

"Yeah, well, I was in a rush." she started the engine and drove to Teller/Morrow.

Charlotte stayed in the clubhouse with Gemma and played cards until the men came back and walked into Chapel.

After an uncomfortable exchange of glances between her and Clay, Gemma excused herself leaving Charlotte to sit in the bar alone. To occupy her time while waiting for the boys to come back out Charlotte started picking up the mess that was left over from Bobby's homecoming.

Shortly following a very loud cheer of: "Pussy!" coming from behind the door the men filed out and Tig walked up to Charlotte, grinning from ear to ear.

"What on earth just happened in there." she asked, chuckling at the dumb looks all the guys had on their faces.

"We just voted to become partners with Cara Cara." he whispered to her, unable to contain his excitement. "We're in the porn business, baby!"

"Oh that's a great idea!" Charlotte said putting her hand to her chest. "Luann was so worried this afternoon. I mean, it's not ideal but it's better than nothing, right?"

"Right." he agreed, gazing at her. He thought for a second while Charlotte went back to cleaning. "Wait, you're cool with this?"

Charlotte laughed, "Why? Should I not be?"

"No, I mean, yeah, I mean...most girls wouldn't be so cool to hear their old man was hanging around porn stars for a living."

She sighed, rolled her eyes and faced him. "Are you gunna keep the girls safe?" she asked

"Yeah." he said

"Are you gunna do it with your dick in your pants?"

"Of course." he vowed honestly

"Then what the fuck do I care?" she said, shrugging. "Besides, those girls have more things going on in their life then thinking about what leather-wearing fifty year old they're going to bed down next." She narrowed her eyes at Tig, "You do realize they're people, right?"

"Of course I do!" he said, taking offense.

"Then," she said coming back around the counter to him "as long as you treat them that way that's all that matters to me." She planted a kiss on his lips.

"C'mon Tig!" Clay barked at him, "We got a delivery to make."

"Will you be here or at home?" Tig asked as he made his way toward the door.

"I'll be here." she assured him before he disappeared from her sight.

She was putting away the, now clean, glasses behind the bar when the men burst back through the doors holding up a bleeding Bobby and plopping him down on a bar stool. Charlotte stood up quickly when she heard the commotion and rushed to grab a towel when she saw what was going on.

She pushed her way through the helpless, shouting men and pressed the towel into Bobby's bleeding shoulder. "Nice Welcome Home, huh, Big Daddy?" she said, smiling at Bobby.

"Yeah, tell me about it." he said, laughing.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not bad." he said winking reassuringly at her.

"Well, I think we should let Tara be the judge of that...Tig" she said, calling to him over her shoulder

"I'm on it." he replied, flipping open his phone.

"What was that you called me?" Bobby asked, swigging from a bottle of booze Juice had just handed him

"What?" she asked innocently until she remembered, "Oh, Big Daddy?"

"Yeah, that" he said smiling, "I like that"

She smiled back at him and said, "Well that's what I'll call you then."

"Call him what?" Tig asked, walking back up behind Charlotte

"Oh, nothin'" she said slyly and winked at Bobby who chuckled. "Here, Kip, hold this down." She took her hands off Bobby's shoulder and let Half-Sack start pressing down so she could turn around and hug Tig. "You alright?" she asked, running her hand over his body.

"Yeah, yeah." he said, massaging her neck with his hand. "I'm fine don't worry about it."

When Gemma walked in with Tara Tig tried his hardest not to gape at the damage done to her face that she was, very uncharacteristically, trying and hide from them; especially Jax when he came in through the clubhouse doors. He scrutinized the situation and looked at Charlotte who continued to stand with Bobby and help Tara patch him up as much as she could.

Finally in their bed less than an hour later after making sure Bobby was resting comfortably in his own Tig turned to face Charlotte's back and said, "It wasn't just a car accident, was it."

He could've sworn he sensed her breathing stop all together before she slowly rolled over to face him and said, "Gemma's business needs to stay Gemma's business Alex. For the good of the club don't you dare tell Clay...I think she knows what she's doing keeping this to herself."

His jaw clenched and unclenched, "What'd they do to her?" he asked, his nostrils flaring

"I don't know." she admitted honestly, "She didn't tell me, AND she doesn't have to."

"Son of a Bitch" he said angrily and punched their headboard.

"We just gotta be there for her now." Charlotte said, sitting up to look at him.

He finally made eye contact with her and his eyes softened. "You're right" he said, pulling her to him and intertwining her fingers with his. "But when the time comes, I'm going to be more than happy to kick some skinhead ass."

With that final soothingly violent thought left in her head Charlotte kissed the back of Tig's fingers before they fell soundly asleep.


	20. Fix

"Hi there, baby!" Charlotte said, bounding up to Tig in the garage and handing him a brown paper bag. "I brought you lunch."

"You did?" he said, taking it from her and pulling her in for a kiss, grabbing her ass briefly. They continued to kiss in the open doorway until Gemma's car squealing out of the lot pulled their attention away from each other.

"Where's she going?" Clay asked walking out to see her.

"Cara Cara." Charlotte said, looking over at him. "Luann's worked up about somethin' or another."

"Aw shit." he said trotting to his bike.

Tig sighed, "I hate it when mommy and daddy fight." then mounted his bike right next to Clay "Get on, let's go!" he called to Charlotte before telling Chibs where he was going. She grabbed his waist when he started the bike and swung her leg over it just before he started moving.

When they got to Cara Cara they both sat and quietly observed the heated exchange between Clay and Gemma until he picked up a cinderblock and smashed it through the window of her car. Charlotte and Tig both got up immediately ready to protect their respective leaders. After Clay grabbed Gemma from behind Charlotte ran to her, pushing Clay out of the way and into Tig's arms, ready to hold Clay back.

"You're okay, you're okay." she whispered to Gemma, holding her shaking body up with the help of Tara. "Let me drive you back to the shop, c'mon."

Gemma was quiet the whole ride back to Teller-Morrow but after Charlotte closed to door of the office behind them and she sat down at her desk she turned to Charlotte. "I haven't been able to be with Clay, since." she admitted, absentmindedly playing with a pen.

"That's normal for not having been through a very normal experience." Charlotte said, resting her back against the wall.

"It's pushing him away." Gemma said angrily

"There's only one way to stop that from happening." Charlotte said solemnly "And I know you're not ready to do it."

"No" Gemma said, running her hand over her hair. "No, I can't."

"Well" Charlotte sighed, "You need to preserve the stronger of the bonds you have with Clay. You need to continue to be strong and smart for the club and he will continue to see you as the best woman in the world for him. Sex is just sex."

Gemma swallowed and nodded in understanding. They sat in silence for a while until they heard the men file into the garage next door just outside the office door. This spurred Charlotte to start being useful and began helping Gemma with some paperwork.

"Hey Charlie" Tig said, poking his head into the office. "Can we see you for a second?"

Nervously, Charlotte entered the darkened garage where SAMCRO was meeting. "Yes?" she asked softly

"Tig says you have some knowledge when it comes to the whitey brotherhood of sheep fuckers."

Charlotte's eyes darted to Tig who nodded reassuringly that he didn't tell her secret. "Well, when your stepfather is the black president of an integrated MC in the heart of Alabama and also happens to be married to a white woman you have to keep your wits about you."

They all nodded in understanding; shocked at this small new piece of information into Charlotte's past. "Well," Clay continued, "we found out that the man who came to visit us last night - Zobelle - was a member of the League…"

"of Aryan Nationalists." Charlotte finished, turning around in frustration; putting her hands on her hips and looking at her feet.

"You know them?" Juice asked

"They're locusts." Charlotte spat in anger, "Their suits and college degrees hide who they really are. They've pillaged the bible for their own purpose and hide behind the sanctity of strong religious beliefs to play the victim whenever they're put under the magnifying glass. They have come to consume Charming." The men looked around at each other as though she had confirmed their beliefs. "Due to the Nation's size it operates at different tiers. Sometimes they're so disconnected from each other that they're not working towards any common goal. The common skinheads will work at the whim of their hate but it never truly harms the cause at it's core because, while greed is actually the primary driving force of LOAN, ethnic purging is like the little something extra they get off on when it happens."

"Wait." Jax said, interrupting, "What do you mean greed is their driving force?"

"They want money and power." she explained, "The lower members believe that this power will both come from and result in the white man's subjugation of minorities. The truth is that the privileged few who are in the upper tiers of LOAN will do anything they can to get said power and money, even if that means working against their 'supposed' beliefs. I can guarantee you that that overzealous wannabe jarhead from last night has no idea that in order for Zobelle to reach his end game he's actually working with either the Mayans or the Niner's to get it done."

"No way." Juice said in disbelief

Charlotte shrugged, "Well, then, there are two options to explain the Mayans crashin' your trade with the Niners last night. Either someone in this room was sloppy and led them to find out about the trade...or someone outside is feedin' them intel on SAMCRO."

The silence was thick as it radiated through the room until Clay nodded at Charlotte, "Thank you. Well," he sighed and Charlotte turned to leave "one problem at a time. Let's get these drugs out of Charming."

Despite Tig's attempts to stop her from hearing about the drugs he knew she had when he saw her face, "It's okay" he said reassuringly, "There's never been drugs in Charming and after today there never will be."

"Okay" she nodded, smiling at him before she closed the door to the office and ran frantically to her bag. "When they get back tell Tig I'm at home." Charlotte told Gemma before crashing out the door.

Once she arrived at home, having dropped her purse and keys to the floor, she scrambled up the stairs and pulled down the ceiling hatch that led to the attic. After searching through some of the boxes they had stored up there Charlotte finally emerged with a small, black shoebox that was covered in duct tape. She chucked the box unceremoniously onto their dining room table she went into the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of wine.

Tig came in through the front door quietly after driving over from the wrap party at Cara Cara. He had enjoyed himself while he waited for Charlotte to arrive but when Clay came back from Teller-Morrow after having left Gemma Tig asked if Clay knew when Charlotte was coming.

"I don't know." Clay replied sullenly, looking around at the talent. "She wasn't at the clubhouse when I left."

So, when he saw her sleeping peacefully on the couch in front of the fire with a half finished glass of wine and an empty bottle on the glass coffee table in front of her he breathed a sigh of relief and sunk onto the edge of the couch next to her.

"Charlie" he said softly, shaking her awake. "Charlotte, honey…" she opened her eyes slowly and groaned, covering her face while she looked up at him. "Looks like you decided to have your own little wrap party here instead."

"Ohhh" she moaned "The party at Cara Cara...I completely forgot." her speech was slurred and it took all her energy to sit up on her elbows to look at Tig. "I thought that you would come home beforehand."

"No, we took care of some business and went straight there."

"What business?" she asked trying hard to convey her genuine interest through her drunkenness

"We got rid of a cook cabin Darby had set up."

"That's great" Charlotte said half smiling until her face got suddenly serious. "Did anyone get hurt?" He laughed at the comicality of her facial change before nodding reassuringly. "Good." she said and laid back down.

"Are you okay?" he asked, swirling around the wine bottle to see if there was anything left inside.

"Yeah." she said, her eyes closed. She sat up again suddenly and started to get uneasily to her feet. "I need you...to take me to the airport."

"The airport?" he said, alarmed and followed her into the dining room. "What are you talking about?"

She scooped up the box off the table and held it to her chest while she turned to face Tig. "I need to go home for a little bit." she hiccuped, "I want to get some things out of storage...happy things; stuff momma left me. And I wanna bring them home...to our home." she stroked his face and handed him the black box in her hands.

He looked at her warily before opening it. Inside were a pile of pictures. To Tig it looked as though it were the same four or five pictures duplicated over and over again. He picked up a ghostly looking head shot of a woman with thin, lackluster, blonde strands greasily hanging in front of her unfocused eyes. His eyes darted up to Charlotte after looking at the eyes of the woman in the picture, realizing that it was her. Then, continuing to look at the picture, he took in the sallow color of her skin that hung limply from her cheekbones and dipped into hollow looking pockets where her plump cheeks used to be. Flipping through the rest of the photos he saw her body, similarly pale and dirty with her skin clinging to her bones.

"That's me" she said unnecessarily. "That's what I looked like when Platte and the guys found me." she took a deep breath "I look at those when I get worried about relapsing...and then I drink myself to sleep. Between LOAN in Charming and news that someone was dealing here too...I" she squealed "needed to blow some steam off."

"Okay then" Tig said. "So where does you going back to Alabama fall into all this."

She rolled her eyes, "Not BACK back." she scoffed "Just for a visit. I'll get my things and come back." He looked uncertain so she grabbed his face. "I will always come back to you."

He smiled down at her and brushed a strand of hair out of her face "We're going on a run tomorrow...can't it wait until we get back from that."

"Nah." she said dismissively, "It's just a run. It's better I'm gone for the tame stuff in case you need me if things get difficult."

"Things can go from calm to rocky in seconds"

"I know, but I really won't be gone for long. I already packed."

"This is some really shitty news to come home to." he said rubbing the back of his head. She made her eyes wide and pouted at him. "What...uggg, alright" he groaned, turning back toward the door and grabbing her luggage waiting by the door. "Don't ever make that face at me again." he warned, holding the door open for her "I don't like it. It's got magic power or some shit"

She snorted and clasped the seat belt over her chest. "My momma used to call them June Bug Eyes."

"I'm pretty sure the rest of the world calls them Puppy-dog Eyes but, okay." he reluctantly started the car and drove her to the airport.


	21. Sweet Home Alabama

Hours after receiving a phone call from Tig saying that he had just put Charlotte on a plane to Alabama he was helping a very hungover Charlotte into the hot Alabama sun. As soon as the sun hit her skin she fumbled for her sunglasses and shoved them over her eyes quickly and held her hand over her head trying to quell the pounding.

"Come on" Sam called to her, "the wind on your face will help." Knowing he was right she climbed precariously onto the bike behind him.

By the time they got to HeLAL clubhouse Charlotte was no longer dizzy and the pounding in her head was much more faint. Sam was gesturing for her to follow him inside but she waved him in and flipped her phone open to call Tig first and let him know she had arrived safely.

"Well, well, well look who it is." Tig said as his answer "Miss 'I'll just fly off to Alabama while things are still calm' well, guess what, things are definitely NOT calm."

"Alex what are you talking about?" she asked holding her head "You're just on a run."

"Oh, yeah, I _was_ just on a run until Bobby lost control of his piece of shit run bike and ran me off the road into a ditch."

"Aw, Tig, c'mon I said I was sorry" Charlotte heard Bobby in the background

"You split my leg open, shithead!" Tig screamed over his apologies

"Is that Bobby?" she asked, her voice biting.

"Yeah" Tig said "Fat lard; good for nothing-"

"Stop that right now." she scolded "Put him on the phone."

"Ha, ha." Tig said to Bobby when he passed the phone to him. "You're in trouble now."

"Hello?" Bobby said

"Robert Ezekiel Munson" Charlotte spat into the receiver "Now, I know that you are not about to tell me that you took your Fat Boy - your classic Harley Davidson Fat Boy - on a long range blood run."

"Well, I…" he began

"Ohhh Bobby." she said, lowering her voice to a growl "I don't need to tell you how lucky you are that I'm in Alabama right now, do I?"

"No ma'am."

"What does Clay have to say about all this?"

"He, um," Bobby coughed into the phone and lowered his voice. "made me Tig's bitch for the day."

"How about until his leg is healed for starters."

"Yes ma'am."

"That bike needs to be housebound, Bobby. I'm sorry but it does." He grumbled at her. "Love ya, Big Daddy. Now put my Old Man back on the phone."

"Why are you smiling?" she heard Tig ask him bitterly, "Why is he smiling?" he asked her "I thought he was going to be in trouble."

"Oh he is." she assured him. "What exactly is going on?"

"I'm waiting at this hospital for someone to come patch me up." his impatience was apparent "But apparently all the doctors went on a GROUP ORGY BREAK AND ARE NEGLECTING THEIR FUCKING PATIENTS."

She held the phone away from her ear then when he was done shouting into it said, "Alright well clearly you're not in any real danger if you have the energy to terrorize the entire ER."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I'm fine Charlie-baby don't even think about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, do what you gotta do so you can come home."

The joyful roars that greeted Charlotte when she walked through the doors of the clubhouse beat against her wounded head. Luckily, Sam was there with two advil and a tall shot of whiskey both of which she took gratefully before getting swept up into the arms of a tall, burly red-headed man who held her up over his head for everyone to see. He slid her back down, holding her close to his body.

She tried to ignore the longing look in his eyes and broke away from him to greet Platte by throwing her arms around his neck. "Welcome home, Ma Belle." he said, a smile across his face. Before she had time to say hello to anyone else in the room he pulled her into their meeting room when she entered into the room hidden in the wall behind a large banner she looked around in awe.

There was only a faint light illuminating the pictures on the wall that she began to lap, studying each one as she went. When she got to the head of the table she stopped and stared at the picture of her biological father and mother on their wedding day. It was a black and white picture but it was clear they were sitting on top of the burnt orange Nova, her mother's beautiful oval shaped face peeking out from over her father's shoulder as she sat on the hood with him in front of her. Next to him was her step father Virgil on his bike a white smile breaking the muddy coal color of his skin. He had his arm wrapped around a tall, mousy woman with long brown hair who had a small bouquet of wildflowers held up to her nose. Charlotte ran her pointer finger over the curve of her mother's face when Platte spoke again.

"Child" he said softly, regretful to disturb her. She turned around slowly and sat down on the chair he was gesturing for her to. "Tell me what's going on."

"I just wanted to bring the things from the storage unit out to Charming with me." she said innocently but he gave her a look that forced her to tell more. "It just got a little scary really fast and I needed to focus my attention somewhere else." His silence spurred her to talk more, "LOAN is in Charming and they had one of their subsections start dealing in the town."

He nodded and rubbed his hands together slowly, "I'm glad you know where to come when you're feeling a little unsure of yourself." She smiled graciously at him "But you're okay?"

"Yeah, Platte" she said nodding

"You're sure? What about that fossil you're seeing?"

"Sam didn't tell you we're living together?"

He coughed and shifted uncomfortably, "No." It was quiet for a really long time. "I'm not going to pretend that I didn't expect you to move back home once your name was cleared. We all did."

"What?" she said, narrowing her eyes in disbelief "What are you talking about? We decided that my moving to a new place is what would be best for me...in general."

"We did" he conceded "but being with HeLAL is also what's best for you."

"Oh, Platte." she put both her hands over his on the table "I will always be with y'all."

"We are supposed to be the ones who protect you."

She thought for a second "I'm in much less need of protection than I am of happiness. Alexander gives me both...just as you have. And despite the fact that I love each and every one of you" he grabbed his face and looked in his eyes to assure him that she was telling the truth, "I can never be happy in Anniston, Alabama. No matter how protected I am."

He pinched the bridge of his nose to disperse the tears wishing to fall from them and nodded, "Okay, you're right." he sighed and moved his hand on top of hers and pat it

"C'mon" she said, standing up and holding her hand out for him to take. "Let's have a good time." She burst through the banner to the clubhouse outside, muttering with excited voices and shouted, "SWEET HOME ALABAMA!" Someone turned the song on and another handed her a rum and coke.

An hour later Charlotte was sitting on top of the bar with her plaid button up tied right under her breasts, exposing her entire midriff and she was laughing with the men and women standing around her when the doors banged open to frame a tall woman with long, soft black hair swishing over her backside, a mess of dark freckles peppering her olive skin and her deep blue eyes lined black to accentuate their cat-like shape.

"Lottie!" she cried, pushing through people to get to her.

"Tia?!" Charlotte exclaimed in amazement, hopping off the bar and running to meet her until the collided in a massive hug. "I thought you were in Nepal!" Charlotte said loudly into her friend's ear, unable to control her volume with this much excitement and whiskey coursing through her veins.

"And I thought you were in California!" Tia screamed back, jumping up and down.

They pulled away to look at each other while still holding on to each other's waists and wiped the happy tears streaming from their faces away, laughing giddily then hugged again and released each other completely.

"Your brother didn't tell me you were in town." Charlotte said, looking over at Chico

"I wanted it to be a surprise." he admitted, smiling at the two of them. "Salt and Pepper, together again."

"Ahhh!" the two girls screamed in unison at the mention of their old nicknames

"Oh my god" Charlotte said, covering her mouth. "We have to." She smirked and raised her eyebrows at Tia

"Nooo" Tia groaned as Charlotte dragged her to the middle of the dance floor. Before she could verbally submit to what was about to happen, music was coming from the stereo speakers surrounding them.

Next thing the crowd knew the girls were performing a near-perfect replication of the synchronized dance from the 'Push It' music video. Everyone was hooting and hollering around them, Sam holding up a video camera and Platte looking on almost proudly. When they crossed in front of each other the last time as the song was ending they collapsed into each others arms, squealing with laughter.

"Woo!" Charlotte hooted when she sat back down on a bar stool next to her friend.

"I can't believe I remembered all that" Tia said, knocking her knuckles against the bar for someone to bring the two of them a drink.

"Oh my god!" a shrill voice said from behind them. Charlotte and Tia turned around slowly, dreading who they were going to see when they did. "You guys did that just as good as you did when we were in high school!"

"Mary Rebecca" Charlotte said, attempting to make her tone as welcoming as possible to the girl with very light strawberry blonde hair standing behind them. "You changed your hair!"

"Yeah, well, you know, Herc likes blondes." she stroked Charlotte's hair longingly, giving her the creeps before making eye contact again "I tried to do it myself…"

"It looks great!" Tia assured her, "I think it's a gorgeous color on you."

Mary Rebecca smiled bashfully then perked up and said, "We're married, you know, Charlotte." she held out her hand for Charlotte to see the small diamond set into the gold band on her finger.

"That's great Mary!" Charlotte said, giving her a hug

At this sign of welcome she hopped onto the stool next to Tia. "Must be lonely all the way out in California." Marty Rebecca commented

"I've made do" Charlotte said modestly, looking quickly at Tia who was chomping on the straw in her drink

"Chico tells me it's a little bit more than that." Tia said quietly

"Yeah" Charlotte smiled "I have a job that I really enjoy. Alcatraz died but it's not so bad in my new house."

"That's not what-" Tia began

"Oh my god your cat died! I'm so sorry!" Mary Rebecca interjected

"It's fine" Charlotte said calmly, "She was old, anyway." Charlotte and Tia fell quiet, not feeling free enough to have a real conversation in front of Mary Rebecca.

They sat and made mind numbing small talk until the burl red-head came over and wrapped his arms around Charlotte's waist and kissed her neck, his sweat dripping onto her skin until she pushed him off of her; eyes darting wildly between him and Mary Rebecca while she wiped off her neck.

"What's wrong with you, Herc?" she said in disgust, pushing him away from her.

"Ha" he said, taking a swig of his beer before swaggering over to Mary Rebecca and kissing her briefly on the cheek "I'm just kidding Becca, you know that." Mary Rebecca nodded silently, looking at her hands. "Hey, shouldn't you be at home anyway?"

"I just wanted to see Charlotte" she said quietly

"Yeah well, you have and now you're monopolizing her time with T"

Mary Rebecca started climbing down from the stool when Charlotte reached out and grabbed her arm. "She can stay" she said defiantly to Hercules.

"Of course she can" he said jovially "It's a free country, she can do whatever she wants. I don't give a shit."

"It's okay, Charlotte." Mary Rebecca said sweetly, squeezing her hand before leaving.

When she had disappeared into the crowd Charlotte stood up and pushed past Hercules, glaring at him with Tia's hand in hers. She walked right up to Platte confrontationally and said, "Has Herc laid hands on Mary Rebecca?"

He straightened up and swallowed, avoiding her gaze. "No, not that we've seen. We're keeping a close eye on it though, trust me."

"He treats her horribly." Tia said angrily

"He shouldn't have married her." he said, "But there's nothing we can do or say to her to make him leave."

"She always did love him." Tia said looking over at Charlotte. "Maybe she's...happy?"

"Uck" Charlotte tisked, rolling her eyes. 'That's disgraceful." she walked away and climbed up the ladder behind the bar and into the lofted apartments on the second floor about the clubhouse. Instinctively she opened the door third on the right only to find that it was almost exactly the same as she had left it months ago when she left.

"Wow they really didn't change this room at all, did they?" Tia said, opening the door and looking around while Charlotte sat on the bed.

"Yeah, not really." Charlotte sighed "It'll look different by the time I leave though." She laid down on the bed and pat the spot next to her.

Tia laid down next to her and took her hand. "So, Chico was telling me about the guy you met in Cali. Does he pay when he takes you out for the Earlybird Special?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes "He's not _that_ old. Besides, I like that he knows what he's doing." She looked over at Tia and they both laughed.

"It's not just the sex, though, is it?"

"No, you know," Charlotte thought about how to describe her relationship with Tig. "In some ways we're exactly the same type of broken, searching soul and - in others - we're just different enough to be exactly what each other needs."

"Well, if that's the case, I'd like to meet him."

Charlotte turned to face Tia, "I'd like that too." she smiled, "Now that I know you're not travelling the world you have an open invitation to come stay with us whenever."

"Stay with us." Tia repeated, "Are you living together?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Jesus, Lottie. The only people you've ever lived with aside from your family is the MC...how serious is this?"

Charlotte shrugged, "I don't know. Like, average? What about you, are you seeing anyone?"

Tia smirked and shrugged, "Asia was fun."

Charlotte laughed and got out of bed and started getting undressed for bed. "Hey, look." she said when she took off her pants and showed Tia her new tattoo.

Tia crawled on the bed over to Charlotte's leg to get a closer look. "Wow, that's really intricate work. When did you get that?"

"Maybe a month or two ago. Indy did it."

"Indy, really?" Tia said, surprised and got into bed next to Charlotte "Wow. That girl has come far from giving us insignia tats in the back of her brother's VW Bus."

"Yeah, it's really impressive. She's been featured on television and everything." Charlotte turned off the light and settled into her pillow before saying, "So, tell me all about Nepal…"

* * *

The next morning Charlotte climbed down the ladder and into the clubhouse wearing a large t-shirt over her underwear. She poured herself a large bowl of CocoPuffs, pushed a lady lover off the bar in front of her and sat down to eat it. The woman got up, her pride injured, and avoided Charlotte's piercing glare as she scurried out of the clubhouse. When she finished her cereal Charlotte checked the clock on the wall to find it was already almost twelve thirty. So, she hopped off her barstool and walked over to the jukebox, pushed the button to play "Take on Me" at full volume and danced around while the drunken men and women started stirring and making disgruntled sounds.

"Wake up, wake up!" Charlotte shouted, kicking the feet of random people until they got up and left or went to go pour themselves a hot cup of coffee. When the people in the clubhouse were milling around again she climbed back up the ladder to get dressed for the day then knocked softly on Sam's door. "Hey, Sam" she whispered, sticking her head in

"Yeah Belle" he said, pulling the sheets up around his body when she entered

"Can I borrow your keys? I'm gunna go to the cemetery today."

"Yeah sweet thing." he grabbed a pair of keys off the table next to him and tossed them to her.

"Thanks" she said and winked at him. When she closed the door behind her she looked down the hallway to see Tia doing the same thing. "Mornin'" Charlotte greeted her brightly.

"Where are you off to today?" Tia asked

"I thought I'd go to the cemetery."

"Do you want someone to come with you?"

"No," Charlotte said firmly "I'd like to go on my own. Maybe we can go down to Celia's for dinner?"

"Sure thing!" Tia said, leading the way down the ladder and out the door.

Charlotte drove Sam's midnight blue Impala to the town florist before leaving for the cemetery. It had been a while since she had bought the standard four bouquets for her family but the florists, having known Charlotte and the MC, put them together flawlessly. Laden with the blooms she trod down the sloping hill to her family's graves. Knelt down in front of them, Charlotte brushed some fallen leaves off the tombstones and began filling the bouquet holders staked in the ground next to them. For both her father and step-father's graves she had purchased yellow tea roses with orange tips to match Hell's Lovers colors. She then turned to her mother's grave and arranged the purple irises she had bought next to it, plucking one from the batch and laying it on top of the stone before doing the same with the white daisies for her sister. After looking at the stones for a long time Charlotte laid down on the lush grass and looked up and the leaves of the tree above her until her eyes drooped closed and she fell asleep.

Next thing she knew the tip of someone's boot was poking her gently in the side until she opened her eyes to see Hercules standing above her. She stood up quickly and brushed herself off. "What are you doing here?" she asked confrontationally.

"Woah, hey" he said, putting his hands up in surrender, "No one had seen you in a while so I volunteered to get you for dinner."

"Of course you did." she said, rolling her eyes and crouching down one last time, kissing her fingers and resting them against her mother's grave then doing the same to her sister's before walking past Hercules toward her car.

"Hey, since when am I a bad guy in your book?" Hercules asked, his hands in his pockets as he followed behind her

"Since I saw the way you treat that poor thing of a wife of yours." she snapped

He grabbed her by the arms and turned her to face him. "I treat her just fine." he growled at her "I learned from the best."

"Oh, please" she said, narrowing her eyes. "When we were together you were happy as a pig in shit."

"Yeah, and so is Mary Rebecca. Isn't it enough that I sacrificed my happiness for her to be?"

"You know what?" Charlotte said shrugging, "I don't care. I don't care! This isn't my life anymore and I simply do not care."

Hercules pushed her into the side of the Impala and kissed her, grabbing her breast forcefully through her clothes. She strained her neck in attempts to escape from underneath him but his pure mass held her in place until she brought her knee swiftly into his crotch and he disconnected from her.

"Let me make this completely clear." she said, putting her foot to his zipper and pressing down. "I'm sorry that I hurt you but do not mistake my regret for love. When we were together I was sick from withdrawal and lonely with the memories that plagued my mind. Having love now, I can promise you that what we had was not it." she removed her foot and opened the driver's side door to get into the Impala. "Go home to your wife." she spat down at him before closing the door and driving off.

* * *

The next morning she woke up feeling rested and happy after a night of good food and laughs at a local dive HeLAL loved to lend their patronage. They had filled the restaurant so that the owner, Celia, had to close to the public early and didn't get to close up shop until late in the night when they had all left. Charlotte, Sam, Chico and Tia spent most of this unseasonably warm day loading a small trailer with the array of boxes from Charlotte's storage unit.

Sometime around two in the afternoon Platte pulled up to where the four were in the storage yard and honked politely at them. "Visiting hours will be soon." he shouted to Charlotte from his seat in the car

"Okay!" she called back and threw the last box into the trailer. She looked back over her shoulder into the mostly empty storage unit.

"We can finish here." Chico assured her and nodded for her to get into the car with Platte.

They had been driving for a while when Platte seemed to finally ask what he had been thinking about for a while. "What happened with you a Herc last night?"

"Nothing" she said curtly, "He's just hung up on some dead shit and forgot himself for a second."

Platte sighed, "We think he's been doing cocaine. He's been really...on edge lately. Making stupid mistakes."

"You gotta detox him then" Charlotte said

"He won't take too kindly to that." Platte chuckled

"Yeah, well. You have to do it for the good of the club. And for Mary Rebecca."

"Since when are you so nice to that girl?"

"We've always been nice to her." Charlotte claimed innocently

"I guess, but that doesn't mean you like her."

"She's still strange, and way too nice." Charlotte though, "Sometimes I think that she's going to scalp me and wear my hair as a wig."

Platte snorted, "She's just a little bird, she can't hurt anyone." He pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and turned the car off.

After checking in at the front desk of the psychiatric wing and getting searched to make sure they weren't bringing any sharp objects or drugs to the patients inside. They were ushered into a large visiting area where a lanky man with straw colored hair and dark circles around his eyes was sitting staring off into space.

"Pharm!" Charlotte exclaimed, running toward him and wrapping her arms around his long, slight frame.

He had stood up and hugged her back, his cheek twitching into her neck. "Belle," he said softly, closing his eyes and letting her go.

When her feet touched the floor again she stroked the darkened, broken face of her friend. "Thank you so much." she choked

"Don't mention it. Really." he sat down and gestured for her and Platte to sit across from them.

Charlotte surveyed his face and noticed the quick twitches that flickered across it stemming from a place on his neck. "Are they not giving you medication for your twitching?" she asked

Pharm scoffed, "New Age bullshit." she said, "They think that it's just a side effect of one of my other meds...they're trying to scale them back. Morons." he looked around "It's a nice place, though. I could definitely be in worse. Everything's gluten free vegan and shit." He chuckled and shrugged.

"Well I'm glad to hear that" she said, smiling and touching his hands

"So" he said, leaning back in his chair, "Four-ish more months in here and then I'm coming to meet some of those Cali girls out by you Belle."

"Oh my! You are more than welcome sweetie pie." she smiled at him. "I'm sure the club can wrangle some lookers for you."

"Fabulous! Cards?" he grabbed up a deck and shuffled in quickly in his hands. They spent the rest of visiting hours playing poker and betting with foam checkers until the patients were called to dinner and Charlotte and Platte heading back to the clubhouse for dinner as well

* * *

Charlotte had already been tossing and turning for some time, her chest blistering with sweat, when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she said groggily, looking at the digital clock on her bed stand that read 4:52 a.m.

"Charlotte" Tig's voice on the other end was grave and low, "Charlotte."

"Yeah baby, what's wrong?" she asked sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes

"We're about to get arrested...we're about to get arrested, Charlie. It's time to come home."

"Tig, let's go!" Charlotte heard someone call to him

"I love you, Charlotte. I love you! Come home."

Then the line went dead.


	22. Gilead

"What do we know?" Charlotte demanded, bursting into the clubhouse after her six hour flight.

At the sound of the door banging open Gemma sat at attention from her spot at the bar then quickly got up when she saw Charlotte and pulled her into a hug. "Oh my god" she muttered in Charlotte's ear and stroked the back of her head.

"How long have they been in general population?" Charlotte asked stiffly when Gemma let go of her

"We don't know, not long though."

"What is Rosen doing, then?" Charlotte asked, pulling a bottle of whiskey off the shelf and pouring herself and Gemma a shot.

"We're waiting for them to tell him what bail is being set at...it doesn't look good."

Charlotte downed the shot, "Of course it doesn't. Fucking video cameras? Are they kidding me? They didn't even wear masks?"

"Yeah, I know" Gemma said, shaking her head. "Pig headed shits. They let Zobelle get to them."

"This is the type of shit that gets every MC that LOAN crosses paths with in trouble. They are too smart and we have to play smart too." Gemma nodded silently and Charlotte flexed her jaw angrily until she looked over at Gemma and felt as though she was really seeing her for the first time since she arrived. "Oh god, Gem" she said softly "I didn't even ask how you are. Are you-are you alright?"

"You mean aside from my husband and son being locked up with some aryan psychopaths?"

"Yeah, aside from that." Charlotte half-smiled at her. "You've been able to keep yourself safe, no one's bothered you?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that" Gemma said, waving her hand dismissively.

Just then Opie walked through the door with Tara who was holding Abel in a baby seat. He ran over and pulled Charlotte into a hug. "I'm surprised you got here so quickly." he said

"She must've done some Bayou Voodoo or something." Tara jeered

Charlotte's face became very serious, "That stuff's no joke." Tara stopped smirking at her "Tig called me just before the raid to let me know it wasn't going to turn up and that I needed to come home." she said softly

"Did he?" Gemma asked, putting her hand to her chest and looking enchantedly at Charlotte "I just thought it was coincidence that you were on your way home when I called."

"Nope" Charlotte said, shrugging

"That is just too sweet." Gemma said, patting Charlotte on the cheek and smiling at her. Tara rolled her eyes.

Opie bit into a sandwich he had made and spoke with his mouth full. "I thought it was because of the bounty hunter thing."

"Yeah, but that was two days ago." Gemma said

"Wait" Charlotte interrupted "what bounty hunter thing."

Gemma and Opie exchanged glances and quickly said, in unison, "Nothing"

Charlotte, reading between the lines, began shaking her head in bemused disbelief. "That man...We BETTER get him out so I can kill him myself."

The four of them mulled around the clubhouse aimlessly until it was time for the garage to open then Opie went to work while Gemma took her time getting to the office, checking her silent phone repeatedly.

"Do you want me to watch the baby?" Charlotte asked Tara in an attempt to be cordial and helpful

"No" Tara said as politely as she could, "I'm going to bring him to Neeta before I have to leave for work." Charlotte nodded in understanding. "Thank you, though"

Charlotte appreciated her expression of gratitude no matter how painful it seemed for her to give it. "No problem" she said, "Just need to be useful I guess."

Tara smiled at her before picking up Abel and saying, "I'm sure you'll think of something."

* * *

When Charlotte had reached the point where she was wiping down the bar for the third time that morning, having swept through the entire clubhouse, the chapel and a couple of the rooms she felt comfortable cleaning she threw down the rag in her hand and stormed over to the garage.

"Put me to work" she demanded from behind Opie who had his head in an engine

"What?" he asked, standing up quickly, nearly missing the hood with the top of his head.

"I need to do something and I am not cut out for this domestic cleaning shit." Opie looked at her and wiped his hands down with a rag. "I'm not asking for pay, I'm just asking for work."

"I don't know Charlotte, Clay-"

"Tig will handle it"

"Do you even know-" At this, Charlotte put her hands on her hips, raised her eyebrows and shot daggers at Opie with her gaze. He put his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay. We have some oil changes, tire rotations and diagnostics to run."

"Thank you!" she said excitedly and threw her arms around his neck. She walked over to Tig's locker in the back of the garage and took her shirt off to replace it with one of Tig's work button ups. She threw her hair into a high, messy bun and slid her glasses on before popping the hood of a 1997 Honda Civic and getting to work.

Hours later when almost everyone had left for the day Gemma walked up to Charlotte while she was bent over another engine. She had brought an old Polaroid camera out with her and took a quick picture of Charlotte while she was working on the engine, knowing it would be something Tig would want to see when he got home.

"What-?" Charlotte laughed when she turned around and saw Gemma with the Camera. She tilted her head and gave a warm, closed mouth smile to the camera that Gemma had held up again.

Gemma moved closer to Charlotte and shook the films in her hand then smiled down when the picture bloomed on them. "I imagine this is what my daughter would be doing if I ever had one...a little grease monkey causing all kinds of trouble." she handed the pictures over to Charlotte

She smiled up at Gemma, "I don't cause any trouble." Charlotte joked

Gemma laughed, "You're living with a mildly psychotic man twice your age. If you were my daughter I'd say that's trouble."

"Oh don't worry." Charlotte said, laughing. "When I think about it I know my momma would have a lot to say."

Opie pulled his bike right up to the opening of the garage and ran to the women saying, "I just got a call from Clay."

"What?!" both replied, agast

"Yeah" he nodded and caught his breath "They're working on getting some protection."

"Oh good" Charlotte said

"Great." Gemma said honestly, "Meanwhile, Rosen will be here soon to talk about their bail. That's what I originally came here to tell you about. Tara's in the clubhouse now."

"Okay," Opie said "you go ahead, there are some things I need to do for the club."

"Have you even had anything to eat today?" Gemma asked when they walked into the clubhouse

"Now that you mention it...no." Charlotte said

"And you haven't slept since you left Alabama either."

"No ma'am. I'll sleep when you sleep."

Gemma smiled but said, "Well, I did eat today so maybe you should too."

Charlotte nodded obediently and went into the kitchen to put together something small for the three of them since she still wasn't really that hungry. When she had brought out a large plate with some basic snacks on it to put on the bar Rosen had come to the door. Charlotte abandoned the food and rushed to sit on a chair next to Tara while they sat and listened to Rosen tell them what was going on. She offered to put her and Tig's house up for bail along with Tara and Gemma but when Rosen told them it still wouldn't be enough to get them all out they were right back where they were to start out.

After Rosen had left them, disheartened, Gemma turned to Charlotte when an idea struck her. "You know the Oswalds pretty well, right?"

"Yeah," Charlotte said "I still meet with Tristan about once a month."

"You're coming with me then." Gemma took Charlotte's hand and dragged her out of the clubhouse behind her.

* * *

When Gemma and Charlotte had entered the church where Mr. Oswald was watching his daughter sing Charlotte quickly crossed herself with some holy water then sat in a pew next to Gemma was pushing little Abel back and forth in his carriage to sooth him. After Mr. Oswald had approached the two of them and said a quick hello to her, Charlotte left them to talk and walked up to Tristan and her choir.

Tristen smiled bashfully at her and waved slightly before dispersing from the altar with the rest of the girls and walking happily over to Charlotte to give her a hug. "You got to see me sing!"

"You sounded beautiful" Charlotte said, playing with a strand of her hair.

"I'm sure you couldn't even hear me" Tristan replied modestly

"I could, I swear." Charlotte winked at her "How have you been?"

"Actually really good." Tristan nodded and looked at her feet then back at Charlotte with a smile on her face, "It feels better when I'm around people and I feel safe."

"I'm so glad sweetheart. You deserve a happy life where you get to do anything and everything you want to. I'm glad you're going to get it for yourself."

"How about you?" Tristen looked over at Gemma talking to her father. "What can my father do to help you...help the Sons."

Gemma walked up behind them with Abel and Charlotte left her to talk to Tristen while she occupied Mr. Oswald.

"Miss Harris" he said politely when she walked up next to him.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Oswald." she replied, nodding. "It's so nice to see Tristen doing so well."

He simply nodded in agreement before turning to her and saying. "I didn't know you were involved in anything like this."

"Like what, sir?" she asked innocently

"This SAMCRO business."

"Well, I don't know how involved I am in it...I just happen to be seeing Alex Trager. We're just worried about them is all. You know, I heard rumors that Darby has some big muscle behind him that's protecting his dealers in Charming." Charlotte sense his attention to her words peak. "I think that, with that in mind, this is when we need someone like SAMCRO in Charming the most. I know your family didn't found this town so it could be overrun by drug dealers." She took a beat and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I know it's the last thing I want."

"I didn't realize it had such a...personal effect on you." he said quietly

She smiled sadly at him. "I think drugs become personal for a lot of people really quickly." She brightened up. "Anyway, I better get back. I'm sure we'll think of something." She turned and headed back to Emma and Tristen who were standing around the pulpit.

"Miss Tristen just helped me baptize our Abel." Gemma told Charlotte, nodding gratefully at Tristen before stepping toward Charlotte.

"How lovely!" Charlotte said excitedly

"C'mon Tristen" Mr. Oswald said from behind them, "Let's get home to your mother now."

It had started to mist slightly when Gemma and Charlotte walked to the car after saying goodbye to the Oswalds.

"What do you think?" Gemma asked "He was pretty cold to the idea when we talked."

"I think I gave him some valuable things to think about. How about Tristen? Did you tell her anything that would have her give him a little nudge?"

"Yeah" Gemma said, starting the car, "I think she'll say something on behalf of SAMCRO."

When Charlotte realized that Gemma had stopped the car in front of her house she shook her head. "No, I can't. I don't think I can stay here tonight...it will be so empty."

Gemma sighed and took the car out of park "Then you'll just have to sleep with me a Jax's."

"Thank you Gemma"

"Of course darlin'"

* * *

The next morning Charlotte woke up on the couch in Jax's living room - having gotten a couple of hours of sleep - by the sound of Abel crying. Not being used to the sound Charlotte was alert for any kind of danger, having associated the sound of crying with such. As she was heading down the hallway to check on the baby she ran into Tara who had also been woken by the crying.

"Oh." Tara said, surprised. "Good morning."

"Mornin'" Charlotte said back, nodding.

When the two women entered the nursery quietly they saw Gemma already standing over the crib, holding Abel in her arms. Tara walked up and relieved Gemma of the baby and Gemma and Charlotte left the room.

"Did you sleep in the rocking chair all night?" Charlotte asked Gemma while starting a pot of coffee for the three of them.

"I guess I did" Gemma called back from the hall bathroom she was fixing her hair in

While she was cracking some eggs over a hot skillet a ringing came from Gemma's purse, "Gem" Charlotte called to her.

"Can you answer it?" Gemma called back

"Hello?" Charlotte said, answering the phone

"Hey, Gemma?" Opie asked uncertainly

"No" Charlotte chuckled, "It's Charlotte."

"Oh, okay. Listen, can you ask Gem if it's alright that I bring the kids over today? I didn't realize they were off from school."

She put the phone to her chest and relayed the message to Gemma. "She says no problem, Ope. Bring them over anytime. I'm starting breakfast if they're interested."

"That's great Charlotte" Opie said appreciatively

"You're making breakfast." Tara observed when she walked into the kitchen with Abel on her hip.

"Yes ma'am I am." Charlotte said, smiling over her shoulder at them. "How do you like your eggs?"

Tara waited apprehensively before saying, "Scrambled is fine."

"Do you have work today? Opie is bringing his kids by."

"No, I don't." she sat down, looking at Charlotte. "Does that mean you'll be staying?"

Charlotte looked silently at the eggs on the pan in front of her before saying, "No. There's always work I could do at the garage, I guess."

"Oh. No. That's not how I-" Tara began "I'm sure the kids would love to have you around and Gemma and I could use the help. Especially since - between the three of us - I think we barely have a whole night's sleep to work with."

"Oh, alright then." Charlotte smiled, "I'd like that."

In the time it took Opie to arrive with his children Charlotte, Gemma and Tara had managed to set the table for the five of them and set out the eggs, toast and bacon they had put together.

For the rest of the day Charlotte spent most of her time with Ellie while Kenny focused his attention on playing with the cars and trucks he had brought to play with. She mostly just helped Ellie with her homework since, not having spent time with a young girl since she and her sister were little, that was the most help she could really offer. Ellie volunteered to help them make lunch and was tasked with the responsibility of setting the table before they all sat down to chicken salad sandwiches and baby carrots. After lunch, Charlotte and Tara pulled a board game for the four of them to play while Gemma spent time with Abel.

At nightfall, when Lyla knocked on the door, Charlotte was sitting cross-legged behind Ellie; braiding her hair. She finished quickly and went to see what was happening when she heard Tara become confrontational.

"Hi Lyla!" Charlotte said brightly, pulling her into a hug

"You know her?" Tara said judgementally

"Yeah, she works at Cara Cara" Charlotte explained

"I know where she works." Tara said cooly

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte asked warmly, ignoring Tara

"Opie sent me to pick up his kids, we were all going to get dinner together."

"Oh." Charlotte's face fell. "Lyla, don't take this the wrong way it's just...I mean we don't REALLY really know you and..." Charlotte looked over her shoulder at the brother and sister joking with each other on the floor. "These are Opie's kids." she sighed, "I just wish he called and let us know first."

"Yeah," Tara interjected "we're pretty sure he wouldn't want his kids to leave with some porn princess."

"Shut up." Charlotte snapped at Tara, screwing up her face in disgust. "If that really is what it's about to you I suggest you pull that corkscrew out from between your cheeks." she turned back to Lyla. "You're more than welcome to come in and wait for Opie to get them." she offered this consolation lamely.

"This isn't your house-" Tara began

"No, that's okay I have to go get my kid from my mom's anyway." Lyla said gratefully to Charlotte, cutting Tara off mid rant.

Tara turned to start berating Charlotte as soon as the door closed behind them but they were saved the cat-fight when Tara's cell phone began to ring. Charlotte went back over to the kids on the floor while Tara talked to Gemma on the other line.

When she had hung up Charlotte turned up to her and said, "What's up?"

"Oswald posted their bail." Tara said, a huge smile crossing her face

"What?!" Charlotte got to her feet excitedly. Tara nodded silently in response and Charlotte pulled her into a hug and they both shouted jubilantly.

Not knowing what was going on Kenny and Ellie go to their feet too and hugged to two women excitedly as well. At the touch of their little hands around her waist Charlotte tensed up and broke away from Tara, smiling nervously down at the children and patting their heads. Observing this behavior Tara simply chuckled and went into the kitchen to break out some cookies for them all to eat. When Opie came to get his kids Charlotte busied herself by putting Abel's jacket and heavy socks on to go to Teller Morrow while Tara talked to Opie about Lyla.

"You know" Charlotte said after Tara had closed the back door of the house behind them "you could be less of a bitch about Lyla."

Tara looked at Charlotte and scoffed, "From Donna to that? I just don't see it lasting so what's the point."

Charlotte blinked at her, "The point is that she's still a person." She shook her head and walked over to her car, leaving Tara to put the Abel's carseat in on her own.

* * *

Now at Teller-Morrow the three women sat in the loudest silence imaginable. While no one spoke Charlotte was bent over in a chair, looking at her feet while simultaneously bouncing her leg and drumming her fingers along the edge of chair. The rapid _tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic_ of her heel barely hitting the cement floor and the heavy _brrnt-brrnt_ of her nails on the metal of her chair was joined by the _tattattattattattat_ of the pen Gemma was tapping against the large desktop calendar and Tara's intermittent shifting and sighing from her seat in the office.

Finally, lights broke through the blinds and all three of their heads whipped towards the door and they ceased all movement, tuning their ears to the noise outside. When they registered the sound of an engine and tires crunching the gravel in the lot they sprung to their feet and bolted out the door to meet the van that was bringing the men home. The sight of the tired SAMCRO members getting out of the van stopped the women in their tracks to search the faces filing out of the side for the ones they had missed for two days - five, in Charlotte's case. Each man seemed to be avoiding the women's stares by looking at their feet as they walked into the clubhouse. Tig hopped out of the van with Clay who was stomping toward the clubhouse. He kept walking away from them until Charlotte, in a haze of happiness and confusion, was able to call to him.

"Tig" she squeaked, not moving from her spot next to Gemma who was watching as Clay continued to move away from her into the clubhouse

Tig stopped abruptly and turned to face Charlotte, his heart pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath as the relief of seeing her washed over his body then winked at her reassuringly before following the rest of the men obediently into the clubhouse while Jax stormed off toward the garage.

When the doors of both the garage and the clubhouse had slammed shut a new, uneasy silence fell over the lot where the women remained in awe of the men's behavior.

Gemma broke the silence after swallowing the angry tears that were trying to flow onto her cheeks. "Go home." she commended before turning quickly on her heel and headed toward her car.

* * *

Charlotte walked into her house alone and stood in the doorway looking around at the boxes she was able to have shipped from Alabama. She wove through them and sunk down in front of the fireplace to light a fire before opening the box closest to her and pulling out its contents.

When Tig got home he opened the door quietly, expecting Charlotte to be asleep, but when he saw her silhouette in the firelight he sighed a grateful sigh and smiled over at her.

"Charlie" he whispered from the door, moving toward her through the boxes. Charlotte stood up quickly to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck in response, pushing her face against his chest and breathing him in. He closed his eyes and stroked her hair in silence before letting o of her and looking around their living room. "What's all this?" he asked, laughing a little

"Some stuff I had shipped from Alabama." she said, holding his hand and pulling him onto the floor in front of the fireplace next to her. "Some things from high school." she passed him her yearbook and he flipped through the pages.

"Of course you were a cheerleader." he chortled, turning the book to show her the action shot of her leading a cheer with a blue 'A' written on her cheek.

"Go Anteaters!" she said, laughing and taking to book back from him

"Jesus Christ...the Anniston Anteaters?"

"Oh yeah." she nodded enthusiastically. "Lost every game."

He plucked a photo album she had discarded onto the couch and opened in. "Who are these?" he asked flipping through the pages.

Her stomach lurched but she answered him anyway, "My parents." she took the book from his hands and moved close to him. "That's my mom and dad on their wedding day." she pointed at the picture of her parents standing under an altar made of birch trees. Her mother was wearing an ivory, floor-length dress with a lace overlay that had long, winged sleeves and was so far off the shoulder that it was a marvel as to how it was being held up over her small chest.

"You look so much like her." he said pointing at her blonde hair with wildflowers woven through the loose curls she had molded her hair into. "But you have your father's eyes." his finger moved to the pale green eyes gazing up at the camera through her father's ruggedly tan skin and dark facial hair.

She nodded and smiled, pulling herself closer to him then flipped the page. "This was taken a couple of months before my father died." she said stroking the corner of a picture of the same man with the pale green eyes and dark beard who had a couple more wrinkles cutting into the sun beaten skin around his eyes as he held a young girl with the same eyes and blonde hair that he had wrapped tightly in a faded purple blanket. They were both laughing at the camera.

"How old are you here?" he asked, turning to look at the delicate features of her all-grown-up face

"Three" she said, smiling sadly. "This" she giggled, showing him the picture on the next page. "Is me and my best friend, Tiana." The two five year old girls were wearing one piece bathingsuits - Charlotte's a lime green with blue ruffles on the hip and Tia's a white one with a dot graphic of Tweety Bird. Tia's dark hair was plastered to her body, wet after having been in the pool and Charlotte's had dried in a wavy, messy halo around her head.

"You were just too cute." he said chuckling kissing her on the cheek.

She smiled and looked up at him, closing the album slowly, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Hey" he said nonchalantly "I wasn't going to let some shit nazis keep me from seeing you again."

"I love you." she said and kissed him. "I love you."

"I...love you...too." he said between kisses weaving his fingers into her hair and laying her down on the carpet underneath him.

They continued repeating the words to one another while they had sex in front of the fireplace. Each time the words escaped their lips their meaning grew stronger to each other as the temperature of their bodies coming together mirrored that of the fire beside them until they fell - blissfully spent - asleep in each other's arms.


	23. Potlatch

Charlotte was standing against the counter in the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands just staring at the ghostly swirls coming off the black surface in her mug.

"Penny for 'em?" Tig asked groggily from the hallway, rubbing his face in his navy blue boxers and leaning against the wall.

Her gaze snapped up to him and she smiled, "No, nothing. It's just nice being home. Quiet, coffee..." she sighed happily "It's good."

"Indeed it is." Looking at her standing there in the new morning light wearing only a tank top and pale pink cotton boy shorts, her hair partially disheveled gave him a hard on and he reached down to squeeze his now erect penis. He took advantage of her guard being down when she turned to pour him a cup of coffee and pushed her so roughly against the counter that the mug in her hand smashed into the sink; the hot liquid splashing onto her skin causing her to jump back and cry out in pain. He had her pinned against the counter and was leaning her body over the sink with his hand wrapped around her neck when he pulled down her underwear and slid into her forcefully. With each thrust into her he pulled back on her throat, cutting off any hope of words escaping from her mouth and imprinting a perfect, red copy of his hand onto the supple skin of her neck. She closed her eyes and focused on the pleasure of him inside her instead of the oxygen that was becoming increasingly harder to get into her lungs with his grasp on her neck until she started seeing worms of light cross her darkened vision.

"Gr-grapes" she sputtered their safe word with difficulty and he loosened his grip while still plowing into her from behind, bruising the bones of her hips more and more with each slam against the counter.

"Ohhhh" he moaned finally, rubbing his nose into her hair and breathing her in as he came hard into her; his milky liquid coating the warm skin between her thighs after pulling out of her. He squeezed her throat one last time before moving off of her and going upstairs to get dressed.

 _Well_ , she thought happily, after the uneasiness of her legs had her sitting on the floor next to her ripped boyshorts _Looks like things are back to normal_. She picked up the panties next to her and looked at them before standing up and throwing them out causing her to wonder why she even bothered to wear underwear anymore.

After cleaning up the shards of porcelain, Charlotte joined Tig in their bedroom where he was putting on clean clothes and did the same. She had already pulled on a simple short sleeve shirt when Tig walked up to her and turned her face to either side, looking at her neck.

"You're going to want to cover that up" he said smugly, "Can't have people on the street wondering."

She examined herself in the mirror and saw the red and purple shadow of his fingers around her throat then pulled her shirt off them went back into the closet and pulled a plum colored, sleeveless turtleneck dress over her head instead. After poking some silver hoops through the holes in her ears and putting make up on she walked back down the stairs only to hear her cell phone ringing.

"Hello?" she said brightly, answering it.

"Hey Char." Gemma's voice on the other side sounded heavy and tired "Potlatch tonight, okay?"

"Good idea." Charlotte said jovially

"Yeah, we'll see" Gemma's voice was sceptical. "Can you bring your potatoes?"

"Sure thing momma." Charlotte hung up the phone and stopped in her tracks when she realized she had called Gemma 'momma'

Tig walked up the step from the living room and was shrugging his kutte on when he looked at Charlotte, standing frozen in the doorway. "What's the problem?" he asked, chuckling at her

"Oh, what?" she shook her head and looked at him. "Nothing." she cleared her throat and looked at his kutte while she picked up her purse. "You have church this morning?"

"Yeah" he opened the door for her and followed her out. "Your meeting is today, right?"

"Yup" she stopped at her car and turned around to kiss him goodbye before they both left their driveway in different directions. Charlotte had started a meeting for SAMCRO affiliates that worked at Teller-Morrow and Cara Cara but when she arrived at the meeting hall they had rented for the meetings no one was there except for Lowell and two other Teller-Morrow mechanics.

"Where are the girls?" Charlotte asked looking around

"They, uh, there was an emergency at Cara Cara" Lowell explained. He looked over his shoulder at the two men behind him then back at Charlotte. "I think you should go be with them over there...they're going to need a meeting a lot more than we do today." Charlotte nodded at the men graciously and ran back to her car.

* * *

At Cara Cara Charlotte walked right past Opie and Jax without bothering to ask what was going on and ran to a tall black woman in a grey sequined dress with blonde and orange highlights throughout her dark hair and petite Phillipino girl who was wearing only black leather underwear. They were both shaking and scratching their arms.

"She's here!" the black woman, whose name was Lucretia,, said when she saw Charlotte. They both turned around and ran to hug her.

"Hey girls, you okay?"

"No" Lucretia said, looking around and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"They killed the dog!" Kellie, the Philipino girl yelled angrily. Charlotte followed the direction her finger was pointing with her eyes but looked quickly away when she saw the bloody carcass of the dog laying on the floor.

"Okay come away from here." she guided them both away from the door and turned into one of the sets facing away from the door the dog was slumped against. She sat them down on the furniture and knelt down on the floor in front of them. Three more girls from Charlotte's meeting joined them in the fake room and they settled in and began by reciting The Serenity Prayer. Out of the corner of her eye Charlotte saw Lyla looking around the wall between the sets and held her hand out for Lyla to take and held her close on the floor next to her.

While the girls were sharing some of the recent strides they had made in their steps Opie came up and tapped Lyla on the shoulder and took her away from the group to invite her to the potlatch that night.

"I'm sorry." Luann said, walking up behind Charlotte and putting her hand on her shoulder

"For what?" Charlotte asked, turning to face her

"The girls" Luann cleared her throat. "I need them to get to work...between the set back from this morning and the rough cuts that are now gone." she tried to explain over the girls disgruntled cries.

"No" Charlotte said, turning to the girls. "It's fine, please. I need someone to remind me why this group is special."

"Because we've seen shit people would blind themselves over." Lucretia said

"Through everything we've had to do we're still tough as nails." a small redhead named Madison added

"Reset?" Charlotte asked proudly.

The girls all nodded and echoed her "Reset."

"I can't tell you how much getting some of these girls clean and giving them an outlet to talk has meant to me." Luann said to Charlotte after all the girls had dispersed

"Can't perform under stress" Charlotte shrugged

"It's not just that, I love these girls."

"I know you do Luann." Charlotte smiled and rubbed her arm supportively "Will you be at the potlatch tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there!" Luann replied as Charlotte moved toward the door.

* * *

After stopping at the grocery store for what she needed for the potlatch she used a fraction of the potatoes she bought to make a small portion of mashed potatoes and brought them to Chibs in the hospital.

She rapped softly on the door frame of his hospital room until his head turned to face her. "Oh commin 'ere girl." he said brightly from his spot on the bed.

"I brought you-Oh!" she stopped midway through her sentence and opening the tupperware in her hands when she saw the dark-haired woman sitting in a chair across from his bed. "I'm Charlotte." she put the container down on the bed just out of Chibs' reach and walked closer to the woman with her hand outstretched.

The woman took it warily and said, "Fiona" curtly.

"I'm sorry, who-?"

"I'm his wife." Fiona said shortly. "Who are you?"

"Oh, no one really I'm just friends with a friend of-" Fiona waved her hand and Charlotte closed her mouth as an icy chill ran up her spine.

"Charlotte!" Chibs cried from the bed behind her, slamming his fist down impatiently. "Potatoes" he demanded when she turned to face him. He had been straining to reach them ever since she had put them down next to him. She was grateful for a reason to turn from Fiona's piercingly cold gaze and pushed the container up closer to him and popped the fork that was embedded in the lid of the plastic. "Om. Um. Um. Thank you." Chibs said through his full mouth.

She smiled down at him then perked up again and said, "Well, my work is done here. Feel better, okay?" Chibs winked at her in response and Charlotte turned to leave, faltering in front of Fiona and mumbling, "Ni-Nice to…" Fiona's eyes demanded that Charlotte stop talking so she took the hint and exited quickly through the door with a, "Okay, bye."

* * *

Having spent the later half of the afternoon in the kitchen, boiling and mashing potatoes then mixing a melted cream cheese and seasoning mixture into the whipped mound of starch to complete her mother's secret mashed potato recipe, Charlotte pulled in front of Gemma and Clay's house carrying the completed dish in a very large wooden bowl in her arms. After kicking the side door and being let in by Gemma Charlotte found an empty space on the long table for her potatoes a then picked up setting the table where Gemma had left off, greeting some of the other women with a wave or a kiss on the cheek.

"I met Fiona today." Charlotte said to Gemma, across the dining room and into the kitchen "So...she's terrifying."

Gemma laughed, "Honey, you have no idea."

When Tara walked in empty handed and pulled Gemma to the side Charlotte busied herself with other things but kept her ears open in case Tara started to overstep. Listening to Tara's problem, however, Charlotte couldn't blame her for being upset. Tara's job and position at the hospital was a valuable asset to the club and if she lost it it would affect more than just Tara. She did turn around when she heard Lyla's voice coming in from the front door.

"Perfect." Tara said angrily, "Serving handjobs for dessert?"

"The fuck did you just say to her?" Charlotte yelled angrily over Lyla's comeback and stood by her side before Lyla slammed her dish down and stormed out the door. "You know just because she's on her knees in some studio while you were probably blowing your anatomy professor to get that fancy medical degree doesn't make you any better than her."

Gemma's eyes widened and she covered her mouth to hide the smiled that crossed it.

"Excuse me?" Tara said, her face reddening as she turned on Charlotte.

"Yeah, you heard me." Charlotte stared down Tara who began advancing toward her.

"You don't know my life." Tara pushed Charlotte and she stumbled backward.

"And you" she pushed Tara back "don't know hers."

Next thing either of them knew they both had a chunk of each other's hair in their fists. Tara punched Charlotte in the stomach while keeping her from doubling over with the grip on her hair. In retaliation Charlotte mustered her energy and swung Tara around, slamming her into the wall.

"Charlotte!" Gemma yelled. "Stop it!"

Obediently, after getting a swift kick to Tara's shins in, Charlotte released Tara's hair and back away from her, her hands up.

"I do not need this shit!" Tara screamed at her, more hurt than angry not

"None of us do!" Charlotte screamed back "So how about you give some of us a freaking break!"

"Hey!" Jax bellowed, walking up behind Tara and putting his hand on her back.

Charlotte's gaze snapped to him and she backed up further and stood next to Gemma. She took her hair down out of the loose clip she had it in and raked her fingers over her scalp, untangling the loose hairs Tara had pulled from her head and throwing them in the garbage. Gemma rubbed Charlotte's elbow discreetly then moved back into the kitchen. Her queen having left her side Charlotte moved over to Ellie and Kenny and crouched down in front of them.

"Sorry I used so many bad words in front of you guys."

"That's okay" Kenny said, "Mommy used to get mad at daddy too."

Ellie looked sadly at her feet and Charlotte tilted her chin back up to look at her. She looked at Ellie's sad, round face and didn't know what to say to make her feel better. "Well," she decided to change the subject instead, "You have a whole family here for you today...and Lyla is a really nice person who loves you just as much as everyone else here does."

Lyla placed her hand on Charlotte's shoulder having walked back into the dining room with Opie. "Thank you." she said softly

Charlotte got to her feet and hugged Lyla. "You know" she said when their embrace was broken. "You're more than welcome to come to the meeting with the rest of the girls when we have them."

Lyla's eyes darted away from Charlotte, "Nah" she said, shrugging her shoulder "It was good for today...today was hard."

Charlotte searched Lyla's face before sighing and saying, "Alright." She knew that the only way a drug user was going to enter sobriety was on their own so there was no point in pushing the matter.

Before sitting down after Gemma - already in a bad mood - snapped at them to do so, Charlotte perked up when she saw Clay come through the side door in the kitchen with Tig close behind. He kissed her briefly in greeting before turning an angry gaze to Bobby who was standing next to her while Clay began to berate the men standing around the table.

Tig threw Charlotte into the glass block wall behind them when he lunged for Bobby after Bobby called him an asshole for discussing club business at Gemma's. She regained her footing quickly and helped Kip restrain Tig by wrapping her arms around his chest from behind while Kip grabbed him by the arm and Opie pushed him away from Bobby. Finally calm Charlotte shimmied out of the tight corner she was in between Tig and the wall but he held her arm out protectively over her to stop her from walking in front of Opie who was trying to explain what they needed to do for Cara Cara.

"Calm down, baby." Charlotte said quietly from over his shoulder while Jax was shouting at Clay. Tig's eyes flashed warningly at her but he didn't speak. From her place facing the door Charlotte was the first one to see Hale walk in through the kitchen before he spoke.

Everyone stopped and turned to face him before he uttered the earth shattering news that Luann was dead. When he said that her body had been found Charlotte turned her back to the room and braced herself against the wall with her hand over her mouth.

When Clay's low growl of, "Did you cause this." broke the silence she turned quickly to look at Jax, his stuttering justifications not quelling the anger that was growing inside her. Then, she saw Gemma's broken and empty eyes, glistening with the threat of tears waiting to cascade down her cheeks looking for any way to stop the fighting. Charlotte had just started to move to Gemma's side when she was pushed backward again by Tig as he began to engage with Bobby. She squeezed past Kip and Happy who were wrestling Tig away from Bobby again and ran to Gemma, brushing her hair from her crestfallen face and grabbing her lower arm tightly.

"Stop this!" she cried to Tig but no one heard her over the shouting between Clay and Jax.

After Jax finally snapped and subtly reference Donna's murder Gemma wrenched her arm from Charlotte's grasp in anger, picked up the plate with the roast on it and smashed it against the table into hundreds of pieces. She backed up quickly and stood against the wall next to Tara as Gemma sunk into her chair, positively quaking with anger and sadness. In this broken silence Tara touched Charlotte's hand and squeezed it in silent apology. Without looking at her Charlotte did the same and they all waited until the strangling anger had finally dissipated from the room. When it did Charlotte made eye contact with Lyla and gestured with her gaze to Opie's children sitting, stunned in their chairs next to her.

"C'mon" Lyla said softly to Kenny and Ellie, helping them up from their seats and weaving them through the men, frozen like statues, out the door to take them home. Opie's eyes looked around listlessly and he grunted a short goodbye to Gemma - without looking at her - before he followed after them.

Charlotte turned her back on the rest of the room so that her mouth was close to Tara's ear when she whispered, "He and Clay can't be…"

Tara cleared her throat and nodded, standing up and taking Jax's hand in hers before turning to Gemma and attempting to get a goodbye out. When she couldn't she left quietly, Jax squeezing his mother's shoulder lovingly before exiting behind Tara.

"Clean up or leave" Charlotte snapped at the women standing in the kitchen before she turned to the table and started picking up the shards of the broken plate, Gemma still staring blankly at the floor. When the women behind her mobilized so did the remaining men around the table. While the women walked into the dining room to help clean the men exited and went to go stand in the driveway and smoke.

With the help of Neeta, after the other girls had finished putting the untouched dishes away and Charlotte had dismissed them, Charlotte had finally gotten all the food into leftover containers and stowed away in the fridge.

"Gemma." Charlotte cooed softly, getting to her knees in front of her. "Momma." Gemma's eyes met Charlotte who smiled at her, "You're pretty tired, huh?" Gemma nodded, open to the soft, prodding suggestiveness of Charlotte's question. "Yeah, okay." Charlotte helped Gemma to her feet. "Let's get you to bed." She passed Gemma off to Neeta who held her as they turned and walked toward to living room.

"Tell Clay he can sleep at the clubhouse." Gemma finally said, coldly, without turning around.

"Yes ma'am" Charlotte said before picking up her purse and exiting out the door, meeting Clay and Tig in the driveway.

"Is she-" Clay began

"Sleep at the clubhouse." Charlotte interrupted him ruthlessly, her arms crossed over her chest and continued walking to her car.

Tig swallowed and walked quickly after her, "What about me?" he asked sheepishly.

She turned around quickly and grabbed the front of his shirt so she could kiss him roughly on the mouth. "You, I expect to see at home." she got into the car and drove away leaving him standing in the driveway with a stupid smile on his face.

* * *

Charlotte was already undressed but wearing a black silk robe when Tig came home. After opening the door to their bedroom he saw her sitting on the bed with her back to the door looking at a photograph in the faint light coming from the candles she had lit around the bed. When he moved closer he saw that it was the picture of her she had shown him before leaving for Alabama.

"Hey" he said softly, plucking the picture from her hands and tossing it to the floor as he climbed on top of her. "Let me make you feel good." he kissed her, guiding her head onto the pillow beneath it.

"No" she said forcing him back onto the bed so she could sit up in front of him. "We're in too much pain…" she blinked sweetly up at him. "Hurt me." She started to undo his belt without breaking her gaze from his then put the belt in his hands before opening her robe and laying back down on the bed.

Charlotte ran her hands up her body over her bare stomach and swollen breasts before shrugging her robe off and rolling over to expose her smooth back and round ass to him. At the sight of it he grabbed one of her cheeks, digging his fingers into the fleshy mound before getting quickly off the bed and removing all of his clothes, he penis already standing erect for her. Before he was ready to enter her, however, he wanted to have a little fun as she suggested. His anger at Jax and Bobby was growing by the minute since he left Gemma's dining room and he hadn't even been able to hit anything. Now, with her ass in front of him, he closed his eyes gratefully and let his head fall back before bringing the belt down on her.

When the thin strip of leather made contact with her skin Charlotte let out a primal scream then took deep, gasping breaths as the stinging slowly subsided and took her sadness at losing Luann with it. A tear fell down her cheek and she pushed her ass into the hand that was massaging it roughly to ready it for another burning strike.

Instead of giving her what she was waiting for Tig reached slowly out for a large candle that was flickering on the nightstand and poured it slowly down the length of her back instead. At this she tossed and squirmed against the bed muffling her long, drawn out scream in the sheets so that all he could hear was high pitched squeaking. Before she had the opportunity to recover from the burning sensation down her back he brought the belt down on her other ass cheek. He stared - satisfied, at the pure whiteness of her knuckles as she balled the sheets up in her right hand. In her left, however, she hadn't been able to grab the sheet in time and, instead, had driven her nails into the palm of her hand so forcefully that she could feel the warm liquid of her blood covering the tips of her fingers from the crescent shape cuts she had inflicted on herself.

He brought the belt down on her again and again until he could see faint lines of blood blooming from the edge of his belt cutting her already raw skin open then flipped her over to look at her face. They stared at each other a long time. Tig's cock was pulsing so hard it almost ached for her to be around him and when Charlotte moved her hips against the bed she could feel that her juices had soaked the sheets under her. She turned toward the bed stand and grabbed a handful of ice from the glass of water she had sitting there and cupped his balls with it.

"Oh-oh-ohfuck!" he yelped when he felt the cold ice touch his hot, sweating scrotum and the base of his cock. He looked down at her mischevious face and smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as his body twitched with the popping sensation of the ice melting against his sensitive skin.

After pulling her dripping hand away from his sack he loosened her grip around the shrinking cubes and let them fall onto her exposed abdomen. "Ahh-ah!" she moaned, moving back from him, the cubes making tracks of water over her skin. She watched and squirmed under him as he picked another candle up and poured the wax over her breasts, just above her nipples.

When he saw her face contort with the agony of the hot wax on her sensitive areolas then relax into an acceptance of the pain he slid himself into her slowly and watched as her expression was changed into one of bliss. She held onto him tightly, her fingers pressing into his shoulder blades while he rammed in and out of her, his hips making a scooping motion up into her so he was pressed up against the back wall of her pussy on the thrust in and raked against her upper wall on the pull out so that his throbbing, veiny cock rubbed against her g-spot.

Losing control of her muscles she fell back onto the bed and he set aside technique for speed when she spread her legs wider for him to move between. Her back made a high arch off the bed that was soaked with a mixture of the melted ice, sweat and their combined precum as she came hard around him. She grasped hopelessly at his chest and arms when the ecstasy clouded her mind from him continuing to move inside her sending more waves of pleasure crashing over her body until she was left shuddering underneath him when he thrust into her for the last time and let his cum go inside her.

Tig regained his strength after a few minutes and looked over at Charlotte, barely conscious on the bed next to him, then pulled his knife out of the sheath from his pants on the floor and started scraping the blade against her skin to get the dried wax off her.

"Mmm" she moaned, her skin tingling with pleasure again as the blade dragged slowly over her sensitive areas. After the wax was off her body and she was fully conscious again she turned back to face Tig and kissed him hungrily, holding his now soft dick in her hand and stroking it. "Let's go again."

He smiled at her then quickly obliged the green eyes looking longingly at him.


	24. Fa Guan Balm

While she was eating lunch at her desk the next day Charlotte received a call from one of Luann's girls telling her she and Ima had been picked up in a hooking sting.

"How much is your bail?" Charlotte asked, swallowing the food in her mouth and dusting her hand off on her pencil skirt.

"Not much, maybe five each."

Charlotte groaned in response and hung up the phone then left for Charming.

* * *

"Hey" she said to Jax as he walked past her on his way out of the station house.

"Hey Char." he said when he realized who had spoken to him and walked back up the steps to give her a kiss on the cheek. "What are you even doing here?"

"Came to bail Luann...the Cara Cara girls out."

He blinked at her, "That's not your responsibility." he said astonished

"No, I know. They'll pay me back."

"Jeeze, Sister Charlotte over here" he chuckled

She simply smiled at him and said, "Life is hard, why make it harder."

"You're a sweetheart under all that aloof southern belle crap, huh?" he smiled back at her. She winked mysteriously then continued into the station to post the two girls' bail.

"Ugh I don't need some charity from a goody-goody croweater." Ima said when she saw Charlotte waiting for them in the lobby.

Charlotte smiled at her when she had finished hugging the girl who called her, Katie, but gave her a warning glare that caused Ima to look at her feet. When they were out of the station Charlotte grabbed Ima forcibly by the arm and swung her around to face her.

"I don't know what you think you know about me." Charlotte said angrily, glaring at Ima through her sunglasses, "but most people say thank you when someone has done them a kindness. Now, if I had known that Katie was askin' me to bail out some smart-mouthed brat I would've reconsidered." Ima shrunk away from Charlotte until she released the hold she hand on Ima's arm. "Don't you dare go on thinkin' that this was charity." Charlotte said to the girls in front of her, "I expect every dime of that bail money back before I take my last breath in this world. Now," she smoothed down her skirt and shook her hair out of her face, "do y'all need a ride back to Cara Cara?"

Katie sneered at Ima who was cowering embarrassedly from Charlotte as they walked past her and got into the Nova that was parked out front. Before starting the engine Charlotte stuck her head out her open window and called to Ima, "Well, Jesus, girl! I'm not makin' two trips now get the lead out!" Ima scurried over to the car and got in before Charlotte drove off to Cara Cara.

* * *

On her way back to work Charlotte decided to stop at Teller Morrow to see Tig. When she pulled up she saw Tig standing outside the garage talking to Bobby and Jax. She stayed inside the car and just watched him until he walked away from the conversation and spied her in the lot.

He bent down and kissed her through her open window, "Hey baby. Whatcha doin out of work so early?"

"Some girls needed help." she said, smiling up at him.

"What girls?" he asked warily, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

"Some girls from Cara Cara got picked up on prostitution."

"Okay" he said, still not understanding, "I don't see what you could do about that."

"I bailed them out." she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You bailed them out?" she saw his eyebrows peak out from above his sunglasses. "We got that kind of money?"

"You don't know how much money I have." Charlotte said bitterly, taken aback. "Unless you want to start asking me to pay rent I have some disposable income, okay?"

"Okay" he said, not wanting to fight with her about something as stupid as money. "It's just this thing with Cara Cara, I don't want you to get in the club's way with it."

She blinked and cocked her head to the side, "What does that even mean?"

"Clay wants to liquidate the production company." Tig said, looking past the roof of her car and out to the street.

"What?!" Charlotte said, much more passionately than he was anticipating, and opened the door into him so she could look at him face to face. "Why?!"

"Woah, hey." he said holding up his hands "It's not a big deal."

"Yeah to you leather-clad shitheads, maybe" she shouted. He put a finger his lips and hushed her softly, looking over his shoulder at the clubhouse. "Did any of you even think about what would happen to these girls if they can't work a Cara Cara? They'll have to find work for some asshole like the one that did Luann."

"Okay, okay" he said softly, pulling her into his chest but she pushed him away and just stared at him. "Listen, it's gunna be a vote anyway. Alright?"

"And?" she said, folding her arms across her body

"And what?" he asked holding his arms out like he had nothing to hide.

"How're you gunna vote?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he growled, stepping close to her until her back was up against the car. "Don't you dare use this" he gestured between the two of them "to influence the decisions I make for club."

"I'm not" she spat back at him "It's about the decisions you make for other people." She shoved him out of her way and got back into the car then sped off back to Stockton.

* * *

The next morning Charlotte slept on the couch where she had passed out while waiting for Tig to come home so she could apologize to him. Instead, he entered their house just as the early morning light was coming in through the glass doors that led out to the backyard from the dining room and saw her curled up under and thin throw blanket. Tig stood their silently looking at her sleeping and then gazed around their living room until his eyes caught the picture of the two of them sitting on his Harley that she had taken on their trip to Idaho, sitting on an end table. He walked over to it quietly and held it in his hands, looking at her twinkling eyes and bright smile captured in the picture her was holding. Thinking about the judge he had just left whose most prized possessions were flimsy letters from and pictures of his deceased wife Tig found himself wishing he had something more permanent than that to remind himself of Charlotte if anything were to keep them from one another. His gaze traveled from the lively snapshot of her in his hand to the calm, angelic living version of her on the couch.

He crouched down next to her head and placed the picture back in it's spot on the table and murmured, "Boy, do I love you." while he watched her chest rise and fall with each peaceful breath.

Instead of waking her up he went into the kitchen and started making them breakfast. At the smell of the crackling bacon Charlotte stirred and looked around the living room, taking time to realize that it was morning and she had fallen asleep on the couch the night before.

"Hey." she said, her voice cracking at being used for the first time that day.

Tig stopped humming and turned around to face her. "Good morning sunshine." he smiled sweetly at her.

She smiled back from where she was standing next to the refrigerator then shuffled over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and muttered, "I'm sorry" into his shoulder.

"No, no, no." he said putting down that spatula in his hand and turning to hug her. "Your big mouth is one of the reasons I keep you around." she laughed into his pectoral then turned her face up to him. "I'll vote to keep Cara Cara." he said after kissing her on the head and turning back to the stove.

"You don't have to do that." she tried to hide her excitement.

"Please," he snorted "like I was really ever going to vote against pussy."

She stood on her toes and gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek before running upstairs and taking a quick shower. In the steam that had filled their upstairs bathroom Charlotte flipped her wet hair up into a clip and pulled on a terrycloth robe before bounding back downstairs to eat with Tig.

When she turned into the kitchen, however, she saw Tig standing in the dining room with his kutte back on and was looking sadly at the phone in his hand. "What's wrong?" she asked looking between him and the phone, not truly wanting to know the answer that was sure to take the smile from her face.

"The warehouse - Cara Cara…somebody lit it on fire." the uneasy wavering of his voice told her that he had no idea who could've done this or why.

"Was anyone inside?" she asked, her heart dropping.

"Nah" he shook his head and looked over at her.

She was quiet for a while then slammed her palm into the wall and shouted, "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!"

* * *

Charlotte's mind remained preoccupied with the fate of Cara Cara all through work. So much so that she left early, complaining of a stomachache, to wander around Stockton. While all she wanted was to spend the day in bed with Tig, she determinedly occupied herself instead; knowing that Tig was busy with the latest SAMCRO drama of Jax threatening to go Nomad after Cara Cara burned to the ground.

She walked through the downtown area of Stockton, eating a vender taco and sipping a diet coke, looking in the windows of the various rundown storefronts. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, staring at a black, boarded up building to her right. The black paint was peeling and there was a faintly awful smell rising from the concrete in front of it but as she looked at the painted black windows and the dilapidated red sign that read "Ca...S…..ch" due to the missing letters and graffiti that was covering it.

"I know what this is." she whispered softly to herself before turning into the door and jutting her shoulder against it a couple of times until the rotting wood gave way. Once inside she put her hand up to her nose immediately to block out the smell of, what was probably, rat droppings and small dead animals that had clawed their way into the building over the years. In spite of the smell Charlotte was in awe of the vast room she found herself in. As she suspected, the building was once a strip club. It wasn't the classiest of clubs she had ever seen but there were plenty of stages and a really good sized bar.

She stayed in the building - opening doors and poking around - as long as she could stand the smell before returning back to the sunlit street and breathed deeply to expel the stench from her nasal passages. Her heels clicked on the concrete as she rushed to her car, flipping her phone open as she went.

"Hey, Platte? Are you busy?" she said when she heard the call connect

She heard the rapid _brrat!brrat!_ of an automatic round being fired before Platte responded and said, "Not anymore. What's up Ma Belle?"

She paused, taking a breath it; still unsure of what she was about to say. "I need to liquidate the bonds my dad and Virgil left with the club for me."

"Why?" he asked, his interest peaked

"I-" she chuckled, "I think I want to open a strip club."

"What?" he did little to hide his shock at this statement.

"Something happened recently." she began explaining and starting her car. "Someone's old lady was killed and…"

"Killed? Belle, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." she chuckled, "Anyway, she was a friend of mine and she owned a production company. It was...an adult film production company." Platte scoffed, "I'm really worried about the girls who worked there, they have families, kids! They were well taken care of when they worked for Luann." she took a deep breath, "I can't direct movies but after five years on more poles than I can count…" His judgmental silence was making her impatient. "I have a business degree from UA, Clarence." she used his true name to drive her point home sternly "I can do this."

Platte huffed into the receiver, "Jesus, Charlotte." she could hear the smile in his voice, "You don't give a man much choice."

She squealed excitedly and turned the car off in the Teller-Morrow parking lot. "Really Platte? You mean it?!"

"Yes, yes." he chuckled. "Don't rush into anything so quickly, though. We'll try and handle the financials until you're ready to set up shop then I'll come up and help you out. How does that sound?"

"Sure! Thank you so much!" she hung up and ran to the garage. "Tig here?" she asked loudly so all the workers could hear her. They shook their heads vaguely and went back to work. "Tig?" she called, running through the office then across the lot. "Tigger?" she burst through the doors of the clubhouse and looked excitedly around for him. When she saw the doors of the chapel were closed she flopped on the nearest couch and waited impatiently until the door opened. "Tig?" she asked, sitting at attention and searching the faces of the men that filed out.

"He's not here." Clay growled angrily, giving Charlotte a look of disgust.

"Well where is he?" she asked confrontationally

"The Wahewa Reservation" Clay said before pushing past her

"The...what?! Why?" she asked the room but no one answered. "Oh for fuck's sake." she said turning from the bar and leaving the clubhouse.

* * *

When she arrived on the reservation she didn't need to look very far until she found the two people who clearly didn't belong there. The sounds of Kip's incessant snickering and nonsensical rambling drew her toward the healing mud pit. Charlotte stood over him with her hands on her hips and smiled down at him, shaking her head.

"Charlotte" Kip sat up in the mud when he saw her. "Charlotte, Charlotte...Charlotte you have to get in here. It heals. It heeeeeeeals." he sunk back in the mud and ran his hand across the surface of it.

"Where's Tig?" she asked, chuckling at him.

"Tig?" Kip looked at her with glassy, unfocused eyes. "He is...beyond" he raised his hand limply toward the field of high grass beyond one of the small shops

Charlotte rolled her eyes and trotted toward the place where Kip was pointing. After walking several feet she found Tig sitting on the ground crying. Shocked at this unnerving sight Charlotte ran over and collapsed next to him.

"Baby?" she said, holding his face in her hands.

"Baby?" he parroted, looking at her but not seeing her and he continued to mutter "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" over and over again to the doll in his hands. As his hysteria mounted all Charlotte could do was sit helplessly next to him before resolving to simply hold him; her arms wrapped around his waist from behind, legs on either side of his and his head resting on her chest as he continued to sob.

"Donna" he croaked finally after a long while of 'I'm sorry's'

"I know." she whispered softly into his ear, running her hands over his hair.

"I'm sorry" he said again, only once this time.

"I know." she repeated and pulled him closer to her.

"I can't hold it inside anymore." he was surprisingly lucid now.

"Oh, Alex, you don't have to." she turned his tear stained face to look up at her.

"It will hurt Opie too much." he shook his head.

"Opie loves you" she assured him. "He just needs to know that this wasn't you" she thought for a little and looked out at the night sky over the tops of the grass surrounding them. "It was Stahl." she said resolutely, "Stahl killed Donna. If the tables were turned and you were made out to be the rat Opie would've done the same thing...Stahl knew what she was doing."

He stared at her, his mouth hanging open and she wasn't even sure if he was hearing her or not. "Water. Thirsty" he said and got quickly to his feet, running out of the field before falling face down into the mud pit with Kip.

Charlotte took her time walking over to the pit listening to the howls of laughter coming from the two men. She stood over them for a while before she decided they had enough mud for one day and started helping them out of the pit. It was difficult getting the two of them to remain focused on getting to her car and downright painful when she had to help them in and their muddy bodies made contact with her leather seats.

* * *

At Teller-Morrow, she dragged them out of her car and left them on the lot, dancing with each other and laughing, until she returned with a hose from the garage and turned it on them. They both unleashed high-pitched, feminine screams when the cold water cut into their skin. They stopped dancing and, instead, tried to hold the heavy stream of water off of the softer parts of their body. When Charlotte was sure they were clean she promptly turned the water off and put the hose back down leaving them shivering with their clothes stuck to their body.

"You okay to make your way to your room?" Charlotte asked Kip who was holding his scrotum in pain again.

"Yeah" he nodded and turned toward the clubhouse to go to bed while Charlotte took Tig, now silent and sober, home.


	25. Service

Tig woke up the next morning, the memories of his past mistakes clouding his mind. Not seeing Charlotte in the bed next to him made him feel even more vulnerable and alone than the demons clawing at his brain did. In order to quiet them he popped the top off a vodka bottle in their liquor cabinet and started drinking. Before he left the house he saw a pink post-it note stuck to the back of their door where Charlotte had written, in purple marker: "Left early. See you at the club later today" signed with a small heart in front of a capital 'C.' He smiled at it and took another swig from the bottle, trying to quell the new ache of her not being in his arms at that very moment then folded the note and put it gently into his pocket before riding over to Teller-Morrow to start his day.

* * *

When Tig was volunteering to go help Gemma collect the guns at her house after hearing about her rape Charlotte had already been up for hours doing a walk through of the building with a city manager and inspector, her attorney and the real estate agent. Apparently, the building had been up for sale for so long that the agent was more than eager to get rid of it.

After the city manager left and a lot of haggling between Charlotte's lawyer and the real estate agent over the state of the building Charlotte finally agreed to a price.

"Congratulations" the seedy agent said, shaking her hand. "You now own a pile of rat shit."

* * *

At the moment that Charlotte held the keys in her hand Tig looked down at the floor of the hallway in Gemma's house while he was fucking her from behind and - through his drunken, lonely stupor - saw the small pink piece of paper with a purple heart and an uppercase 'C' that had fallen out of his pocket and landed on a shattered picture of a young Jax.

"Jesus" he said softly, blinking the sweat out of his eyes and pushing himself away from Gemma. "Jesus." he said again, pulling his pants back up before bending down to pick up Charlotte's note. "What have I done?" His eyes started to fill with tears as he ran his finger over the small heart she had drawn for him then he got up at stormed out of the house.

As he sped off toward Teller-Morrow he knew that no amount of alcohol or meaningless sex could fill the void that his actions had left in him and today was the day he unburdened himself before the grief consumed him and he ruined the one good thing he had in his life: Charlotte.

"Alex!" Charlotte screamed when she pulled into the Teller-Morrow lot and saw him getting beaten by Opie. Tig was hanging limply from where Opie had a hold on him by the top of his head just taking the beating. She had barely put the car in park when she was bolting out of it and running toward him only to be passed by Jax doing the same thing.

When Opie had hopped on his bike and left the lot Charlotte took Tig's broken, bleeding face in her hands and just stared into his blue eyes while Clay demanded to know what Tig said to Opie."I don't even know who I am anymore." Tig responded to Clay but didn't take his eyes off of Charlotte's until Clay pressed him for more details and he moved Charlotte next to him, holding her his body as though it were giving him the will to live. Charlotte avoided everyone's eyes when Tig admitted to killing Donna by hiding her face in his kutte and when he told the men in front of him that Opie knew that true killer was Stahl she squeezed his hand supportively, realizing that he had heard every word she spoke to him the night before, despite the drugs in his system.

The club having finally dispersed after Jax went to chase down Opie Charlotte helped Tig into the passenger seat of her car and drove them both home.

* * *

"I am so proud of you." she said softly when she sat him down at their dining room table with the First Aid kit in her hands. "Telling Opie, being truthful like that. That was the right thing to do, baby."

His eyes snapped up to meet her when she said that and he grabbed her hands quickly, pinning them to the table. "Do you believe that? That telling the truth is the right thing to do?"

"Of course." she said, her eyes darting from his to the painful grip he had on her hands. "Alex, let go." She looked at his eyes and saw the painful longing behind them that made her stomach lurch. She tried to pull away but he held her to him tighter.

"I had sex with Gemma." he blurted out, keeping his tear-filled eyes fixed on hers and watched them change from nervous to brimming with tears of pain to angry in a span of mere seconds.

The knife that this confession had driven into her heart gave her the strength to wrench free from his grasp and slap him square on the gash in his cheek that Opie had given him. Tig's face whipped quickly to the side with the force of her hand making contact with his cheek as he took his punishment but he turned to face her again, his eyelids red and tears continuing to stream down his face.

Charlotte only heard ringing in her ears and her head began to spin when she stood up and stumbled backward, knocking the dining room chair over onto the floor with a clatter that sounded far off to her. Seeing how uneasy she was on her feet Tig, instinctively, got up to help her only to be met with another blow to the face.

"Don't come near me." she said, her breath was jagged and she put her hand to the ribs under her left breast where she felt a shooting pain spreading. "Ah!" she cried in pain, blinking rapidly to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks but, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. Instead, she found herself in the most compromising position she had ever been in as she began weeping in front of Tig, unable to catch her breath to the point of hyperventilation.

"Oh, God" Tig said, holding his head in his hands as he watched her crumble in front of him, longing to touch her and comfort her but knowing that it would only make it worse. "Charlotte, please. God, baby, I didn't know what I was doing. I was completely out of it.I didn't even-I didn't even want it and I stopped it before anything even happened. Please." He reached for her face as she hung her head between her legs, trying to normalize her breathing again. "I love you." he whispered when his hand made contact with her hot, wet cheek.

"No!" she screamed, standing up straight again and pushing his hand away from her. "No you fucking don't" she said angrily through bared teeth and pushed him away from her before running up the stairs to her bedside table and grabbing her PX4 Storm compact Beretta.

"Charlotte, what the-" he said when he saw her coming back down the stairs, checking the chamber of her gun. She elbowed him out of the way of the door he was attempting to block, bruising his solar plexus, and got into the Nova, squealing out of the driveway toward Gemma's house.

* * *

Blinded by tears of anger, Charlotte pulled the car up onto Gemma's lawn, leveling her mailbox and got out while the engine was still running. She raised her arm, suppressing the shaking in her hand before squeezing the trigger of her pistol and shooting a hole into the radiator of Gemma's Cadillac that was sitting innocently in the driveway. She she fired two more shots into the car's front tires and was about to shoot again when Gemma burst out of the house and ran down the driveway toward her.

"What do you think-?!" Gemma began

Charlotte cut her off by screaming, her voice hoarse from crying and her eyes positively wild, "HOW DARE YOU!" she dispelled the round in the chamber of her gun and put the safety on before reaching Gemma and continuing to scream in her face. "HOW DARE YOU MISTAKE MY LOYALTY FOR WEAKNESS!" She stared defiantly at Gemma until the sound of Tig's motor drew her attention from Gemma to Tig who was now bolting up the driveway towards the two of them. Before he could touch her again Charlotte lifted the gun in her hand again and pointed it at Tig's heart.

"Don't" she sputtered through tears and watched as he got down on his knees in front of her and grabbed the barrel of her gun.

"Do it." he begged, pointing the barrel at his head. "Do it, please."

Gemma saw Charlotte's hand shaking and came up behind her to help remove the gun from her loose grip and held her tightly in her arms, guiding her away from Tig and into the house. The women sat quietly across the table from one another while Charlotte waited for her shaking and tears to subside.

"Charlotte…" Gemma began

Charlotte held up her hand and Gemma stopped speaking, "I know." she said, avoiding Gemma's gaze by looking at her hands. "I know what it's like to feel empty and unwanted and needing anything and everything to fill that hole." She met Gemma's eyes and saw that they were filled with regret. She waited a beat then attempted to collect herself, "That is to say." she cleared her throat, "I forgive you...regardless of the fact that you haven't even apologized yet."

"I am sorry." Gemma said, "Of course I'm sorry. I was selfish and only thinking of what I wanted...not who would be ruined because of it. Char, darlin', please don't ruin what you have with Tig because of a silly mistake."

"Ha." Charlotte laughed coldly, "I've ruined nothing...because that's what we had. Nothing"

She started to leave when Gemma spoke again "You know...someone once told me that sex is just sex."

These words stopped Charlotte in her tracks and she stood, frozen, with her hand on the doorknob. "Well" she croaked, "when sex is all you have, then..."

Gemma slammed her hand on the door in front of Charlotte, forcing her to look at her. "That's bullshit and you know it."

Charlotte swallowed new tears threatening to break through her resolve, "Let me by, Gem."

Gemma refused to move for what felt like ages to Charlotte who was listening to the combined ticking of the clock and pounding of the blood in her ears, her face growing hotter and hotter until a single tear fell from her cheek and Gemma let her go.

* * *

Charlotte was glad to see that Tig was no longer on Gemma's front lawn and even more relieved that he wasn't at their house when she arrived. Worried that he would soon return she called a cab and, while she waited for it to arrive, she packed a bag.


	26. Supernova

"Tig, TIG! If we can't find her maybe she's already in the safest place she can be." Juice was offering whatever comfort he could to an out-of-his-mind Tig.

"I do not accept that!" Tig yelled, throwing a chair across the clubhouse floor, scattering the women in its path before shattering against the wall. It was the next day and SAMCRO was readying themselves for battle. The compound had already been shut down and, with the combined efforts of every SAMCRO member they had including Tara and Gemma, the men had been able to convince Tig that Charlotte was there - safe - but just didn't want to see him. That small comfort was barely holding Tig together the whole day until he demanded to see her and Bobby had to admit to him that she wasn't really there.

"Maybe if you had kept it in your pants she wouldn't be missing right now." Bobby spat at Tig. He was almost as upset as Tig was that Charlotte was missing: she was one of his favorites.

"AHHHHRHH!" Tig screamed, flipping a table; the veins in his neck sticking out and threatening to pop.

"She left her car in your driveway...I'm sure that means she's coming back." Juice offered again

"Or she was fucking kidnapped by those nazi fucks again and I'm not doing a damn thing about it."

"Wait," Clay said "what do you mean 'again'?"

"Nothin', man." Tig said, turning away from Clay and avoiding his eyes.

"Alright" Clay said, his patience wearing thin. "Chibs, Bobby, find this little redneck bitch before Tig becomes completely suicidal and is no good to us at all."

"Here take-take this" Tig said, pushing past Juice and Clay and pulling the picture of he and Charlotte in Idaho from his pocket. He was clearing his throat and looking at his shoes trying not to cry in front of the men.

Chibs looked from the picture to Tig then embraced him tightly. "You got it brotha."

Tig watched hopelessly as his two friends left the clubhouse then threw himself into club business to stop the horrible pictures of Charlotte being hurt from popping into his head.

* * *

In reality Charlotte felt good. Really, really good. The MDMA from the Molly she had taken was surging through her virginized system.

"I'm opening a strip club!" she yelled over the music of the club she was in and into the random men's ears that were crowded around her. "Well...I don't know, maybe like a burlesque-slash-strip-slash-club." she giggled

"That's hot, baby" one man said, rubbing her upper thigh by sticking his hand up the high-waisted shorts she was wearing.

"Can you give us a little preview?" another, younger man asked, staring at Charlotte's breasts in the crop top bustier she was wearing.

Charlotte crawled over to him on the oversized, upholstered table and, when her lips were mere inches from his she flipped her hair in his face and sat up on her knees. She began moving her hips in a figure eight while running her hands up her body. The tips of her fingers felt like hot marbles on the velvet sand of her bare stomach and chest and her lips tasted like neon lights when she licked them. Just as she was taking off the bustier one of the men pulled her roughly onto his lap so she was grinding against the denim covering his crotch while the other men looked on hungrily over the tops of their drink glasses.

An hour later the same man was holding her up in his arms up against the brick wall of the alley while he slid his thoroughly unimpressive, barely erect due to drunkenness, penis into her. With the effects of the Molly starting to wear off she simply stared off into space until he was finished and her feet were back on the ground.

"Oh wow" the man said, buckling his pants up and staring at her, "What's your name?"

Charlotte snickered in her head before responding, "Tara."

"Can I call you?"

This time she laughed outright, "No." she said and walked away back into the club where she found a new lap to fall into to score a small baggie full of speed. After stopping to pick up a bottle of bourbon she was sitting on the edge of her disgusting motel bed, drinking from the bottle she had bought and staring at a bag of X sitting next to another baggie of blow lined up next to each other on the desk in her room. Charlotte popped one of the small amphetamine tablets into her mouth when her mind started to wander out of the room and back to her home in Charming to forget the pain and feel good again.

* * *

"That's right, up'n attem, missy!" Chibs hollered after Bobby had broken down the door of her crappy hotel room late in the afternoon, causing her to sit up quickly at attention.

"Big Daddy" Charlotte cooed seductively when she saw Bobby and got on her knees in front of the two men who were looking at the state of the room they found young Charlotte in.

"Charlotte..." Bobby said softly in awe, picking up the bag of blow sitting in plain view.

"You can have some." Charlotte said, getting to her feet. "I don't mind sharing." she whispered in his ear as she walked passed Bobby and did a quick bump of cocaine off the back of her hand.

"Jesus Char!" Chibs said when he saw her ingest the drugs. "Let's go, we're takin' yew back 'ome with us."

"I have no home." she said sharply, narrowing her eyes at him.

Chibs rolled his eyes at her uncreative come back "Listen, I doan care what you think right now. Whether you wan to be with Tig or not is nun o' my business but you're comin' 'ome with us, either way."

"Fuck off." she said angrily.

Bobby, who had been picking up the clothes that she had scattered around the room, tossed her - now full - bag at Chibs and flung Charlotte over his shoulder. "That's right lil' darlin'" he said to her small, blonde form that started flailing against his body in protest. "Let it all out. It's not going to do you any good."

Once out on the street he flung her into the back of the van and locked the door quickly behind her before getting in the front seat and speeding back to the clubhouse while Charlotte uttered every foul curse imaginable at them.

* * *

When they arrived at Teller-Morrow after passing through the heavily guarded gate and Bobby opened the doors of the van to remove Charlotte, kicking and screaming from the back of it.

"Ah!" Bobby screamed in pain when Charlotte's nails made contact with his face.

"Knock it off, luv!" Chibs yelled at her, grabbing her arm and pulling his gun on her. "Luka 'round ya." she raised her gaze to the tops of the building where SAMCRO snipers were pacing "You're nah goin' nowhere." At this lapse in her violence Bobby swiftly flung her over his shoulder again and burst through the doors of the clubhouse drawing the eyes of every family member there.

Tig scrambled quickly off the barstool he was sitting on and ran to meet the ass and pair of legs Bobby was holding that was Charlotte. Bobby happily turned Charlotte loose, glad to be rid of her renewed kicking him and screaming in his ear. Charlotte turned slowly to face Tig, looked at him then walked right past him.

"Charlotte, I-" he began earnestly and reached out to grab her arm.

At his touch she turned around and pushed him away. "Don't touch me you psycho-fuck."

"Oh, I am so fucking done with your bullshit, Charlie." he yelled at her, grabbing her forcefully by the arms, completely ignoring the staring eyes of everyone around them.

"And I am so fucking done with you." she said, her voice shaking with the threat of breaking into sobs. When he opened his mouth to speak again she promptly spit in his face. Instinctively, he brought his hand violently across her face and sent her stumbling into the bar, headfirst into the bar stools.

"Tig!" Gemma cried, appalled.

Tig couldn't hear her though; thoroughly consumed by rage, he lunged for Charlotte and held her tightly by the throat, pressing his thumbs into her larynx. He looked over her rapidly reddening face and took in the beautiful welt that was blossoming across her face and the small scrapes of blood that was dripping from the opened bruises across her cheekbone where his knuckles and rings had made contact. His eyes traveled up her face to the bleeding gash on her head that hitting the chairs had given her then landed his gaze on her green eyes. Tig was heartbroken to see the indifference in them while he was squeezing the breath from her body. He hoped for them to be pleading at him to stop or filled with a defiant anger but seeing nothing, realizing just how much he had broken her, made everything worse.

Through all this Tara and Juice had tried to pull him off of Charlotte but he continued to squeeze until her vision went black and she fell limp in his arms. When he saw what he did Tig backed away from her body quickly and made room for Tara to help Charlotte.

After putting her head close to Charlotte's chest, doing a quick round of CPR, Tara felt her shallow breath on her cheek again. Tara turned to Tig with a disgusted look on her face. "You're lucky you didn't kill her."

Gemma bent down next to Tara and the both reached for Charlotte's arms to carry her off the clubhouse floor. "No!" Tig snapped at them and shielded Charlotte's body from their touch before scooping her up into his arms and bringing her to the apartment.

In an effort to make her more comfortable he picked up the bag he had packed for her in hopes that she would return to the compound...to him - and took off her uncomfortable and revealing clothing. When he removed her high-waisted shorts and lace thong he saw the unmistakeable cum stains that contrasted the black fabric of both articles of clothing. Enraged, he balled the fabric up in his hands and threw them against the wall. Looking down at her unconscious frame his eyes ran up her bare legs and faltered over the enticingly smooth skin of her ass. In his anger, all he wanted to do was ravage her limp form and leave an array of bruises and cuts across it so that, when she awoke, she would know what happened and who she belonged to. Instead, he took a few minutes to and forced his anger deep down into his gut to use on Zobelle and Weston later before turning back to her and pulling a warm pair of his black, SOA sweatpants over her legs and trading her tight-fitting bustier for a heather grey, cotton lined bra and a long-sleeved, grey shirt. Once she was comfortable - so to speak - he tied her hands to the bedpost and turned her on her side so that if she were to throw up, not knowing what drugs she had taken other than the X, she wouldn't suffocate.

"Let's go, Tig." Bobby said, opening the door to the apartment to see Tig brushing Charlotte's golden locks from her face. "It's time."

Tig nodded at Bobby and bent down to kiss Charlotte gently on the temple. When he passed Gemma on his way out of the clubhouse with the rest of the ten best he stopped and said, "Take care of her for me...you owe me that much." Gemma swallowed and nodded then kissed Tig briefly on the cheek and watched the men leave for the battlegrounds

* * *

"Uhhhh" Charlotte moaned when she came to on the bed. When she realized where she was and that she was bound to the bed she started screaming unhappily, "Hey! Heyyyyy! Hey! What the fuck!" Her voice was raspy and squeaking but she managed to yell loud enough for Tara to hear and come bursting in the room.

"Shh" Tara hushed, putting a cup of tea down next to Charlotte.

"Oh. You." Charlotte groaned unhappily, "Like I really need to hear a speech from you right now...are you even going to untie me?!"

"Not with that attitude." Tara scoffed but looked down warmly at Charlotte before sighing and saying. "I wanted to repeat something Clay told the club this morning when he brought us all in."

She waited patiently for Charlotte to say something, "Well?!" she demanded finally, "What is it, then?"

"That every man woman and child in this building tonight is family; is loved by the club." Tara shook her hair out of her face, "Chibs and Bobby literally risked their lives coming to find you today and you don't even say thank you."

"I'll be sure to thank them when you get me the _fuck_ away from Tig." Charlotte was doing a poor job at holding back the tears stuck in her throat after saying Tig's name. She decided to play on Tara's non-SAMCRO, feminine sympathies. "You saw what he did to me out there...I'm scared, Tara."

To Charlotte's surprise Tara laughed in her face, "Nice try. I've spent enough time around SAMCRO, and Tig, to know that wasn't about hurting you...it was about keeping you safe."'

Charlotte groaned at Tara's, unfortunately true, understanding of the situation. "Well, even you have to admit that that's pretty fucked up."

"You're a pretty fucked up couple." Tara smirked at her

"Not anymore we're not." Charlotte shifted as much as she could on the bed and looked away from Tara

"Jesus, Charlotte, what did he do?"

"It's not important now. The only thing that matters is that it can't be undone."

"Oh, so, instead, you're just going to let it be your undoing."

"Oh fuck _off_ , Doc!"

"No." Tara said, coldly, "You're going to fucking listen to me because you becoming a crack whore effects more than just your flawless complexion. You know we're not going to let you do anything that gives you loose lips." she chuckled, "Either pair." Charlotte rolled her eyes in disgust. "Getting high isn't going to help you get over whatever Tig did to you. You have to do what I can tell you've done before: get hard and then, eventually, get happy. That the only thing that will make him feel as shitty about losing you as you clearly want him to."

Charlotte was quiet for a really long time, not wanting to admit to Tara that she was right. "You know," she cleared her throat and looked up at Tara. "I bought a strip club two days ago, right before all this shit went down." Tara failed at containing her disapproval but Charlotte continued on anyway. "I bought it for the Cara Cara girls...I was thinking of starting a kind of high end burlesque show." Tara's judgmental eyes softened, "The girls would get most of their income off the books, hopefully enough to supplement what they were making in front of the camera."

"Jesus" Tara said, impressed, "look at you and your bleeding heart."

Charlotte laughed with her. "I'm just saying...maybe it's good I got it when I did. With a place like that I can get away from Charming and put my focus into something more...productive."

"That sounds like a good plan." she rested her hand on Charlotte's thigh. "Now, where are the drugs?"

Charlotte cleared her throat and jutted her chin at the clothes she had been wearing that Tig had strewn across the floor. "In my shorts, I think."

Tara got up and pulled the two baggies out of her pocket and went to flush them down the toilet. She stood warily at the end of the bed Charlotte was laying on before saying, "We're going to keep you tied up to detox...probably just until this is over."

"Aw fuck, Tara, c'mon! No, please." she banged her head against the wall

"No Charlotte." Tara said firmly, "You know this is the way it has to be."

* * *

After night fell on the battlefield and SAMCRO's ten best had collided with the ten white power members Tig unleashed every ounce of pain and anger he was feeling and imagined that every man he sunk his fist into was one of the men who had hurt Charlotte seven years ago. When he sunk his teeth into the ear of the already bloodied man in his hands, though, Tig was picturing whatever scumbag she had been with the night before; delighting in the man's screams of pain as he ripped the skin and cartilage from his head.

* * *

Before leaving to meet the men at the Charming Police Station the next morning Gemma stuck her head into the room Charlotte was still tied up in and ran her hand over Charlotte's head - feverish from the withdrawal.

"Momma?" Charlotte muttered in her hazy, painful stupor.

Gemma's heart skipped a beat at hearing Charlotte call her that when she knew she no longer deserved such a term of endearment. "Yeah, honey." Gemma said in the best southern accent she could muster. "You rest now."

* * *

"How's my girl?" Tig asked frantically, getting to his feet, as soon as he saw Gemma walking up the steps to Clay.

"She's right where you left her...coming off a rough high. God knows how many different kinds of drugs she had in her system. She'll be okay soon, once this is all over." Gemma sighed and removed her glasses, slowly from her eyes "You gotta snap out of this shit." she said to him "After what you pulled last night she is not your girl and you are going to have to stop acting like she still is if you ever want her back." Tig turned away from her sullenly and laid back down on the marble bench in front of the station house door, grinding his teeth in anger.

* * *

Hours later, after the men had returned to the clubhouse to lay in wait for the perfect time to catch Zobelle vulnerable, Lyla was in the room with Charlotte when she woke up violently retching and quickly brought a plastic pan to her mouth for Charlotte to throw up into.

"Ohhh" Charlotte moaned, squeezing her eyes tight, "Goddddd" She rolled onto her back and coughed while Lyla pat her forehead with a cool, wet washcloth. "Lyla." she said softly when the woman helping her came into focus. "What are you doing in here? Go be with your kid." she pushed Lyla's gentle hand away from her face.

"Stop it." Lyla said firmly, "I want to be in here, I wanted to help you."

Just outside the closed door Tig stood with his head resting against the wood, his arms braced on either side of it; he listened to the painful retching and weak sobs coming from Charlotte on the other side.

"Hey" Clay called to him from down the hallway just as Tig's hand reached for the doorknob. "Stay out of that room. She's got to get better and you've got work to do." WhenTig didn't move Clay walked up to him and growled in his ear, "I need you here...we're not done yet. You gunna take care of business?"

Tig swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded before pushing off from the wall and following Clay back down the hallway and into the clubhouse.


	27. Shed Binding

Charlotte's ears perked up when she her a panic breaking out on the other side of the door. She turned, eyes wide and wondering, to Delilah who had been tasked with the responsibility of feeding Charlotte breakfast since her nausea and sweating had subsided.

"Delilah…" she began but the loyal croweater was already on her feet and running out the door to see what had happened.

She returned minutes later with a disheveled Lyla who informed Charlotte that Gemma was on the lam and one of the Irish bastards had kidnapped Abel after stabbing Kip to death.

"Untie me." Charlotte demanded, pulling her arms so forcefully in the restraints that the wood of the post she was tied to cracked a little. "Untie me now, Lyla!" she screamed wildly, "I can help. Untie me. UNTIE ME!" Lyla jumped at the tone of Charlotte's voice and quickly rushed to untie her.

On her way down the hallway and back onto the clubhouse floor she ran headfirst into Bobby's kevlar covered chest. When he looked at her - pale, but sober - he pulled her quickly into his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "We need you." he said in her ear before letting go of her. "Clay…"

"Anything." Charlotte said earnestly and followed Bobby down the hallway. He lead her into the chapel where Clay was sitting at the head of the redwood table and Tig was standing with his back to the door. "Clay." Charlotte croaked to make him aware of her presence. Tig turned quickly around to face her and his eyes filled with tears when he was able to look upon her beautiful face despite the fact that her green eyes were doing everything in their power to avoid his blue one.

"Sit down." Clay suggested to her softly, gesturing at the seat to the right of him. "We have no idea where Abel is or where the sick fuck who took him is going. We have a many eyes as we can-"

"I'll call HL." she said automatically, not even needing him to finish his request. "Consider it done, of course." Tig's heart beat faster in his chest. "And Gemma…" Clay's eyes locked on hers at the mention of his Old Lady's name. "What can I do for Gemma?"

"I'm glad you're so eager to help." Clay said, leaning closer to her "Because what I need you to do for us may not exactly be completely desireable to you considering your change of heart toward our boy over here." he gestured at Tig.

"Whatever it takes" she said, her throat tightening "for Gem."

"I need you two to protect her and be her cover. She's still in a motel too close to home. We're moving her further to a club friendly motel I need it to look like the Oregon guys aren't protecting my fugitive wife but, instead, are protecting you two shitheads off on an extended rendezvous."

"Sure thing Clay." Charlotte said, standing up then bending over to his him on the head. "I'll go pack." She pushed past Tig and left the clubhouse only to realize she didn't have her car here to take herself home.

"Need a ride?" Tig asked cockily, coming up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. At his touch Charlotte turned around and swiftly punched him in the nose.

"Aw fuck!" he said, his amused smile filled with blood coming from his nose. He grabbed her roughly by the scruff of her neck and forced her onto his Dyna. She sat obediently on the back of his bike but refused to touch any part of him until they pulled into the drive of their house and she used his shoulder the help herself off the bike like she had so many times before.

Charlotte pat the trunk of her Nova lovingly as she made her way up the driveway to wait at the door for Tig to open it so she could go inside and start packing. The first thing she did was change into a tank top and shrug on her holster straps and snap her Beretta in under her arm, zipped a hoodie on over it, then went on to pack for the night. When her laptop, some night clothes and clean clothes for the morning were packed up she zipped the suitcase closed in one swift movement.

"Please." Tig said, blocking her path to the door when she turned to leave. "Please talk to me."

"I have nothing to say to you." she said looking at her feet.

He grabbed her chin and squeezed it tightly, forcing her to look at him. "Please." he begged, tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes. "Tell me you love me." He pressed his lips tentatively against hers, tasting the tears that had fallen onto them from her eyes then felt her go weak in in his arms and started kissing her more passionately, holding her tightly against him. "Charlotte" he moaned, moving his lips down her neck and onto her chest, down the rest of her body until he was kneeling in front of him, kissing her stomach through her shirt. "Tell me this is all just a dream." he begged, "Let me love you again."

She took a deep breath and stiffened in front of him, "I can't." she sputtered, the tears falling more freely from her cheeks. "I can't because I can't help feeling that you never really loved me. Not after what you did." She pulled away from him and he fell onto his hands in front of her, staring at the floor.

He punched the hardwood and turned his face up angrily to look at her, "What I did was no worse than what Gem did to you!" he hollered

"Yes it is!" she yelled back at him, screaming into the top of his head as she bent over him; still crouched on the floor. "Yes it is! I may love and respect Gemma but I never trusted her like I did you! I've never trusted…anyone...like I trusted...you…" her voice trailed off and she stormed down the stairs.

After taking a while to collect himself, he met Charlotte at his bike where she had already strapped her small suitcase to the back. She was wiping away the remainder of the tears that were tracking down her cheeks when she took his fully packed duffle bag and slung it over her shoulders.

Tig grabbed her arm before she could mount the bike and stared intensely into her eyes "I love you Charlotte." he said, looking at her longingly, "And, I swear to God I will prove it to you."

Charlotte said nothing and mounted the bike, reluctantly wrapping her arms around his waist for the long drive north. Halfway there, when night had fallen; after they met with the Oregon charter members who were driving Gemma up north, Charlotte had settled in comfortably wrapped around Tig and the wind in her face. She felt the strings of her heart being tugged toward his, knowing that on this bike, wrapped around this man, is where she belonged. Subconsciously she pulled herself closer to Tig, tightening her arms around his waist. When Tig felt this his heart caught in his throat and his body was filled with warmth. He picked up her hand and raised it to his lips to kiss the back of her fingers. After a momentary lapse of judgement where she closed her eyes and let herself feel happy she snapped back to reality and pulled her hand away from him.

* * *

When they finally arrived at the motel outside of Rogue River under the cover of darkness Charlotte hopped off the bike and ran to meet Gemma who was getting out of the blacked out van. The two women embraced quickly before being ushered into the motel room by Tig and the other two SOA members. She helped Gemma get settled in as much as she could, trying to avoid making any kind of physical contact with Tig as they skirted around each other in such a small room. Eventually, Tig couldn't stand the formality she was treating him with and took one of the lookouts with him to get them all some Chinese food.

"Well this is fucking awkward." Gemma said looking at Charlotte who was sitting on the bed, looking at the channel guide.

"I'm sorry" Charlotte said sarcastically, "Does our helping you escape the Feds make you uncomfortable?"

"Ha." Gemma narrowed her eyes at Charlotte, "Don't get smart with me, little girl. You caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to my car, don't forget."

"Oh I won't" Charlotte smirked at her.

Gemma grabbed Charlotte's face roughly just to smile at her and pat her on the cheek. "I'm glad you came...I would've missed you."

"I can't stay, though, Gem. The deal was to get you here safely. I gotta go back to Charming, handle some stuff back home. We have my MC roots coming in to help deal with some of the blowback."

"What about Tig?" Gemma asked, looking intently at Charlotte's face.

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably then stood up quickly and drove her fist into the cheap wall of the motel room then held herself there, waiting for her anger to subside before turning back to face Gemma. "I was wrong" she said, shrugging, her voice cracking as she started crying "I was wrong, I love him. I can't help it." she rose her glistening eyes to meet Gemma's. "I just can't get past it, Gem." she put her hand to her mouth. "I think that if I'm just able to put some space between us it'll be easier for me to…"

Tig coming back with the food cut Charlotte off and she quickly turned away to hide her tears from him. He looked between Gemma and Charlotte, confused. "Something I said?" he asked, trying to break the tension.

"Did you get my-" Charlotte began, her tone cold and demanding until Tig held out a container of dry beef and broccoli in one hand and a container of sweet and sour sauce in the other. His preparedness made her flush but she snatched the food out of his hands without saying thank you and sat down at the small table in the corner of the room.

After handing Gemma the food she had ordered Tig sat across from Charlotte and watched as she dumped the sweet and sour sauce over her meal and smiled, thinking back to the first time he had ever seen her do such a bizarre thing.

 _It had been the day he showed her the house he bought. They camped out in the completely barren house overnight and she had ordered them Chinese food to eat on the ugly, old carpet of the living room in front of the fireplace._

"Jesus Christ, how high maintenance can you be?" Tig repeated the same thing he had said to her that night so many weeks ago.

She faltered, her fork stuck in one of the pieces of beef that was halfway to her mouth.

" _A good mechanic wouldn't consider me high maintenance" she had replied, playfully. This smart remark had resulted in their dinner being spilled all over the, already dirty, carpet when he lunged at her, hungry for something other than the General Tso's Chicken._

Today, she just smiled faintly at him and shoved the piece of beef into her mouth. At her avoidance of engaging with such a happy memory Tig looked away from her, the hopeful smile disappearing from his face.

* * *

When she and Gemma decided to turn in for the night Charlotte hung her shoulder holster on the lamp next to the bed and laid down in bed next to Gemma while Tig sat in a chair he hand pulled in front of the door to sleep with one eye open. In the quiet moments before morning came Charlotte stirred and shrugged her holster back on then squeezed as quietly as she could through the door, past Tig and entered into the brisk Oregon air.

"Hey" Charlotte called to one of the men standing guard on his bike parked out front. "I need a ride to the train station." The man nodded silently and signaled for her to get on the back of his bike.


	28. Symbiosis

Almost a full day later, after getting in off the train at Stockton, Charlotte was stepping out of her Chevy Nova and rushing toward the funeral home where Kip's wake was being held.

"Hey sweetheart." Clay said, kissing her on the cheek when he saw her come into the lobby. "How'd it go?"

"Great, no one followed us; Tig made sure. Just two love-birds up by the river." she replied

"Great, great." he said patting her on the back. "How about your old man's club?"

"They have their feelers out in every charter from Denver to Tallahassee, trying to get someone at the Canadian border to help them out. I emailed a picture of Abel to them while I was in Rogue River. I couldn't think of anything else to ask."

"Nah" Clay said "That's more than we could ask for. Really good work, darlin'" he looked uneasy for a second before saying, "And how about you? Any…" he simulated snorting cocaine "we gotta worry about?"

"No, I'm good." she nodded, "I'll go back to meetings first thing tomorrow."

"Good." he said "I'm sure _every_ one will be glad for that." She knew he was referencing Tig and looked at her feet.

Luckily, Tara walked up behind Charlotte and pulled her into a hug. "Hey" Charlotte breathed into Tara's hair and squeezed her.

"You look better." Tara commented, running her fingers down the back of Charlotte's head, reminding her so much of Gemma.

"I feel better. The Oregon air helped." she chuckled.

Tara looked over her shoulder into the viewing room where Jax and Clay were talking over Kip's casket then back at Charlotte. "Things are getting bad." she sighed. "Jax is in so much pain he's pushing me away." Charlotte squeezed her arm supportively and listened as she continued. "I know I can be what _he_ needs to get through this...but, without Gemma here, I don't know how to be what the club needs." She raised her eyes to Charlotte's, "You do. I need your help, I need you to stay with us, whatever shit you're going through-"

"I'm here" Charlotte said firmly, "For the club, for Gemma, for Abel. Jesus, I could barely even hold that kid, Tara, but...now, I will do what little I can to help get him back. You have my word on that." Tara hugged her gratefully. "And, listen, doing what you need to do for Jax is what the club needs right now. You're doing a good job; just keep channeling that spirit you got from Gemma. This" she gestured around to the room full of leather-clad men and women, "is you family. Once you accept that everything else falls into place."

"Charlotte!" she heard Lyla's voice exclaim from behind her and turned around quickly to pull Lyla into a hug. "I'm so glad you were able to make it back for this."

"Me too" Charlotte said smiling. A thought occured and her face fell, "Jesus, did anyone think to get in contact with Cherry? Where is she even?"

"I don't think anyone knows" Tara shrugged

"Poor darlin'" Charlotte said, "I don't know what I'd do if…" he voice trailed off in embarrassment but the women knew all too well who's name she was going to say before she stopped herself.

* * *

"It really was such an amazing turn out." Charlotte was saying to Juice, Bobby and Chibs as she walked along the sidewalk amongst the SAMCRO members with the addition of Happy and Kozik.

"Aye" Chibs said and reached out to squeeze her hand in comfort.

"We're glad you came." Bobby said, turning his head over his shoulder to smile at him. "I'm sure it meant a lot to Tig to have you represent him."

Despite the tightening Charlotte felt in her chest at Bobby's words she continued to smile at him and thought about who she would always be to the club and what kind of weight that image carried for the men standing around her. She slowed her pace and let the men pass her as she took out her phone, flipped it open and stared at Tig's contact with her finger hovering above the call button before abruptly closing the phone again and stowing it back in her clutch.

That's when she heard the first round of gunfire. She ducked her head but whipped around to look for Tara who was being pulled to the ground by Jax. When she saw that Tara was safely on the ground she, too, started to drop to the concrete only to be grabbed by the neck by Kozik who had lunged for her when he saw she didn't drop to cover immediately. She kept her head in the grass there Kozik had put it until she heard the tires of the van that was shooting at the mourners drive off. When they had, she jumped to her feet and ran to meet Tara who was standing again after Jax had left her side. The two women held each other by the arms, Tara's nails digging into Charlotte's flesh and looked around in horror at the scene unfolding in front of them.

The screams of the mother holding her son's bleeding body flooded Charlotte's ears and forced tears to her eyes. Her eyes found the motionless form of Deputy Chief Hale lying in the middle of the street; his head smashed open after having been run over by the van. When she saw the matter and bone on the pavement she quickly turned her head away just in time to see Jax charge at the one shooter who had tumbled from the car and begin smashing the man's face into the concrete over and over...and over.

* * *

After getting an update about the events that took place at Kip's wake the next morning, Tig sat at Nate's dining room table, positively smoking at the ears. He felt the burn of little eyes on the back of his neck and turned angrily to the china case holding Rose's array of porcelain figurines.

"Stop looking at me!" he growled at the inanimate object and got to his feet to turn them away from him. They gave him the weird sensation of being able to read his thoughts and right now all he wanted to do was purge them from his mind. _Why hadn't Charlotte called him to let him know she was okay? Surely a near death experience would've been the thing to jar her back to reason - back to him. But it wasn't._ He froze in front of a small porcelain boy with brown hair and puffy blue shorts, holding a flute. It's eyes were boring particularly hard into his soul, finding the pain and longing in it. His anger boiled over the pain and snapped him back to reality where he turned the Blue Boy around with less than a gentle touch. When the boy's eyes were off him he made the decision to no longer care about Charlotte _. If she's going to be done with me that easily I will be too...the caregiver is a pretty hot rebound, though._ He smirked and turned the last of the creepy eyes away from him before sitting back down to his breakfast.

* * *

The only real progress Charlotte had made on the strip club was the removal of the boards from the windows to let natural light in while she cleaned it up before construction began. After quitting her job at the clinic when she was caught up in all the excitement of buying the strip club - not the most mature or well thought out decisions she had made in her life - she had plenty of time on her hands and no income to pay a cleaning crew. So, she decided to tackle the rat carcasses and years worth of dust and grime herself.

"Char?" Bobby's voice cracked through the thick air of the abandoned building. "Char?" he repeated.

"Bobby?" she asked, sticking her head up from behind the bar and pulling the dust mask down off her face to hang around her neck. "Hey! What are you doing here?" she laughed, happy to see him, and hugged him with one arm; holding the garbage bag she had been putting refuse in, away from both of them.

"Clay needs a favor, for the club." he put his hand up to his nose to block the smell

"Is it Abel?" she asked, concerned, as she led him through the back of the building to the alleyway behind it.

"No, no." Bobby said, thankful to be in the fresh air and sun again. "We found out that the hit last night was an initiation...Mayans are patching over an MC in Lodi to give them a more direct line to get heroin to Stockton."

"Shit." Charlotte said, taking her hair down from the elastic that had her hair pulled back so tightly her scalp ached.

"And that's not the worst of it." Bobby looked around. "We have news that Abel might be in Canada."

"Oh that's-!"

"BUT" he interrupted her "They pushed our bail hearing up...for the thing with the League." She nodded in silence this time, "We're gunna go get Abel. Clay needs some extra muscle in Stockton to help in Charming and make sure those Mayan shitheads don't get greedy while they're gone."

"You want my MC…" she said, taking a step back.

Bobby held up his hands, "We just want a parle...see how we could make a Hell's Lovers charter in Stockton mutually beneficial."

Charlotte laughed in disbelief. "Youuuu are joking, right?" she said, continuing to laugh.

"They're not some puppet MC, Bobby." she snarled.

"No, we know" he was panicked now. He sighed, "Charlotte...just give your president a call, please?"

She crossed her arms and looked at the sun, thinking. "Fine, I'll see what I can do." she half smiled as he hugged her gratefully. After he left through the building Charlotte flipped open her phone and dialed Platte.

* * *

"Hey...nice robe." Gemma said, crossing her arms over her chest at Tig exiting the bathroom in a pink, flowered silk robe. "Uh, where ya goin with the baby oil?"

"Gem, I'm not gunna lie to ya, I'm a very big man…"

"No, shithead." she said, rolling her eyes. "I mean what do you think you're doing? The Guatemalan caregiver?" she scoffed in disapproval, "What about Charlotte?"

"What about her, Gem?" Tig said, impatiently. "She disappeared from the motel in the dead of night without even saying goodbye, couldn't even tell me she got shot at. We're done" he spat the last statement, "And to be honest, I'm glad to be rid of the cold bitch."

"Yeah," Gemma said skeptically, "'Honest'." She walked away from him, shaking her head.

Tig tried to shake Gemma's mention of Charlotte from his mind but when he looked at Amelia, the caregiver, sitting naked on her bed; waiting for him - he quickly turned her around so he didn't have to look at her dark features and brown eyes that were so unlike Charlotte's.

* * *

"Come!" Clay said, gesturing Charlotte into the chapel when he saw her hovering by the bar talking to Juice and Chibs. "Come in, Charlotte." She strode in and saw Jax standing behind his father's chair with Juice and Chibs following behind her. "Tell us what you know." he pointed for her to take Tig's chair but she refused by remaining on her feet.

"I told them what happened last night and that - between Abel missing, Kip dying, Gemma's dad being sick, and Stahl still having a major hard-on for the club - you were strapped for members and that the community was having some issues with their faith because of the shooting." The men were listening intently to her "I didn't need to say anything more than that." she shrugged, "You made a really good impression on Platte last time he was here, Clay. That, paired with the constant threat of imminent danger...they're going to be here in a week."

"That's great, right?" Juice said, looking around at the silent members of SAMCRO

"Did you tell them about our proposition?" Clay pressed on

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. "Getting them here, to see the need for it before asking is what we need to do first." she turned her attention solely on Clay, "The trust they have in me goes a long way and I know these men. They all have skin thick as a gators to protect their pride. I can ease them the way that you want so long as I know that bringin' these boys out to California is not for you to use and abuse whenever you need it. An alliance is one thing; a puppet MC is another." Clay observed her shrewdly, unable to hide the impressed smile that had crossed his face so she went on. "If they help you with the Mayans they'll probably take the Stockton Prison pipeline for themselves. Symbiosis, plain and simple."

"You know we don't want any part of drugs, Char" Clay said

"I know...but owning prisons is something the boys in my home charter have gotten particularly good at. In a few months they'll have bought any and every prison guard that can be bought and their business will be focused on renting them to other MC's who need to get information and contraband in or out or who need to enact a hit. For those services, you're going to have to pay just like everyone else."

Clay's hand fell to the table, his eyes wide. "Well" he said on a deep exhale, "looks like we know exactly what we'll be dealing with." she smiled at Charlotte, "We'd be more than happy to have an alliance with a club like that."

"Good!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Now, can I crash here until I find my own place?" She noticed a few of the men's smiles falter when she alluded to this symptom of the end of her relationship with Tig.

"Sure," Bobby said "take the apartment."

"Thanks, Big Daddy." she winked at him and left the Chapel for the men to talk.


	29. Taking Care

Charlotte had forgotten how much she enjoyed manual labor. Swinging the sledgehammer into the rotting drywall of her new club brought her back to the summers she spent working with her father, Virgil, when she was in middle school. Like SAMCRO, one of Hell's Lovers legitimate businesses was a small garage - much smaller than Teller-Morrow - because their main source of clean money was the construction company that had been started by Virgil after Charlotte's father's death. Momma had barely abided her oldest daughter working at the construction company and the garage but Virgil had insisted that his daughters knew how to take care of themselves in the world outside of the MC. When Charlotte stopped going to church and started forgetting to cross her legs at the dinner table - always covered head to toe in drywall particles and sawdust - spewing obscenities like they were part of normal conversation, Charlotte's mother promptly found her a receptionist's job at the local YMCA and put a stop to her 'gallantly unladylike' behavior.

 _Well, momma, you gave your best shot._ Charlotte thought as she continued to tear down the walls that were covered in a tacky, deep purple, textured wallpaper. She pushed her sweaty locks out of her face with the back of her hand and looked around at the work she had gotten done that morning. With the sudden growling of her stomach she decided that she could always come back later to finish the rest of the drywall after getting lunch at Teller-Morrow.

* * *

"How's the rat hole coming?" Bobby asked when he and the rest of SAMCRO came into the clubhouse and saw her opening a beer, her white tank top covered in sweat and dirt.

"If you keep calling it that then that's what I'm going to end up naming it." she said playfully, throwing a handful of Goldfish crackers into her mouth. The men laughed and she went on, "Yeah, people will think it's like a new sex thing or something."

"I've dun some dirrty shet in my day buh I still don't think I would do sumthin' called a rat hole." Chibs said

"Hey Jax, is Tara home?" Charlotte asked him, "She said I could have some of her dad's tools."

His eyes darted around to other member's before clearing his throat and saying, "Uh, no. She went up north to help Gem and Tig with something."

"Is everything alright?" she asked, worried. "Gem's dad, did he-?"

"Nah, nothing like that." Opie said, attempting to be reassuring.

Charlotte wasn't buying it and she narrowed her eyes, "So Tara is risking aiding and abetting a fugitive just...because?"

"Gem's dad blew a hole into Tig's shoulder while he was fucking the help and thought it was his wife." Bobby blurted. He was sick of everyone hiding who Tig really was from Charlotte, trying to get them back together under false pretenses.

"Oh." she said, almost completely unfazed by this news until she continued, snarkily "Sounds like the old man missed, then." The men tried to hide their amusement as she walked away, out into the lot.

"Charlotte!" Lyla called to her, pulling into the lot as Charlotte exited the clubhouse. She got out of the car and ran over to Charlotte, "I need your help."

"With what, darlin'?" Charlotte asked

"The club needs some girls to entertain the Chinese for the gun trade." she explained, "I told Ope I would handle it and I thought it would be no big deal but one of the girls I had in mind isn't looking very camera worthy after she got into a bar fight…"

While Lyla was talking Charlotte got a fleeting image of Tig fucking some faceless woman and getting shot in the shoulder. "I'll do it." she said, quickly.

For a second Charlotte thought Lyla had choked on her tongue with the noises she was making in utter shock, "Um...I...that's not what I was going to say." Lyla said

"Okay," Charlotte replied, "but I said I can do it so problem solved, right?"

"I really don't think that's a good idea." Lyla said, squinting at Charlotte.

"I _was_ a stripper, you know. So, just because I've never been in front of the camera doesn't mean that I can't-"

"No, that's not what I mean." Lyla cut her off. "It's just not a good idea...your role here is too important, and...Ti-"

"I swore to Tara that I would do whatever little I could to help Jax and Abel." Charlotte said firmly, setting her stance in front of Lyla to let her know she wasn't kidding. "If this is what I can do, I'm going to do it...I've done much worse for much less noble a cause."

Lyla looked uneasy but shrugged and said, "Alright, well...we're leaving in a little bit." She looked up and down at Charlotte's appearance.

Charlotte took the hint and rushed back into the clubhouse to get clean. She blew out her hair into a teased, golden halo around her head, painted her lips a dark maroon color that stood out against her light skin, brightened her eyelids with a shimmering gold color and lined both her top and bottom lid with a very dark brown that made her green eyes stand out even more. When her makeup was done and her hair perfectly coiffed she pulled on a skin tight strapless dress with horizontal slits all down the sides that revealed a glimpse at her red lace underwear and bra underneath then stepped into a pair of black high heels.

"Woah, where are you going dressed like that?" Juice asked Charlotte when she emerged from the apartment.

"Lin's" she said shortly "I may not be a porn star but I can entertain some foreigners for firearms." Everyone in the bar went quiet so she continued by saying. "I want to help Jax get Abel back."

"Thank you." Jax said genuinely, walking up behind her and taking in her appearance, realizing what she was doing for him.

She turned around and smiled at him, "Of course."

* * *

In the back of the van, on the way to Lin's, Ima held out a bag of ecstasy to Charlotte who was deep in conversation with Lyla. Both women stopped talking and looked at the baggie.

"What is it?" Charlotte asked warily, looking at the tablet. "Just E?"

"It's barely even a legitimate dosage." Ima said, smirking at Charlotte. "Just to break the ice."

Charlotte looked at Lyla who said, "They don't like us drinking too much, it makes them feel self-conscious." she shrugged, "If you think you can handle it without falling off the wagon I say go for it...it's not like you're exactly in your wheelhouse here."

"Yeah" Charlotte said, plucking a tablet from the bag, "I'll be fine." Truthfully, she was a little nervous but when she thought about the sadness she felt for the Teller's at the loss of Abel she felt charged to do whatever it took.

* * *

The girls filed out of the van and were escorted into the restaurant by the handful of SAMCRO members who tagged along. Charlotte was introduced to an array of foreign men, nodding, bowing and smiling at her and the other girls and she spent most of the party getting drinks for and flirting with them until one man put his hand around her waist and she thanked the heavens for the three drinks and the ecstasy coursing through her system making her light-headed and pliable enough to resist the urge to punch this strange man in the face. When she started leading him back to the filming room by the hand she avoided the eyes of all the SAMCRO members and was glad when the door closed between them and she started kissing the man in front of a small camcorder on a tri-pod; slowly peeling off her dress.

The relief of not needing to face the men of SAMCRO was short-lived, however. For, when Charlotte walked through the door with her John, Opie caught a glimpse of Lyla on her knees in front of another man and charged in after Charlotte; arms swinging. At first, Charlotte screamed with the rest of the girls when the door burst open so violently but when she saw it was Opie and watched him punch the man Lyla had been blowing then turn to take on the other men who had rushed at him, she started openly laughing.

When the man saw her shoulders shaking with mirth he began shouting angrily at her in mandarin then grabbed her by the arm and slapped her across the face. When Jax saw this he grabbed Charlotte from behind by the waist, lifted her off the ground and walked out of the room with Opie whose arm was draped protectively around Lyla and the rest of the girls who were being led out by other various SAMCRO members.

Back in the van, being whisked away to Teller-Morrow, girl girls sat in silence, some of them completely naked while others like Lyla and Charlotte were just missing various articles of clothing. When Charlotte's eye met Lyla's both girls broke into smiles and started snickering at the events that had just taken place - mostly, the image of Opie's enraged face charging through the doors.

Like an infection, soon all the other girls in the van were squealing with laughter until Ima, wiping tears from her eyes, stopped laughing to say, "Damn Lyla, your man's a real killer."

"It must be nice having a guy who would do that for you." Katie said, her tone full of admiration.

With this statement Charlotte's good mood rapidly dissipated like someone had just thrown a brick at the back of her head and jarred something loose. She did have someone who would do that for her, someone who had nearly killed to protect her. Of course, it was her he had nearly killed but the emotions were there. Tig had been fighting for her and she just pushed him away into some low-grade nurse's arms.

"What are you thinking about?" Lyla asked, seeing Charlotte's preoccupied face when they got out of the van.

Charlotte raised her eyes slowly to Lyla's and replied softly, " _My_ Opie."

Lyla squealed and grabbed Charlotte excitedly, jumping up and down. "I knew you would come around on Tig! You're like two sides of the same coin, everyone sees it."

Charlotte laughed, "I guess doing this job wasn't the worst thing in the world then, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess not." Lyla chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to go home and change. I'll be back later."

* * *

Charlotte didn't bother to change out of the underwear she had on and instead just threw on a sweatshirt so oversized that you couldn't even tell that she was wearing shorts underneath it. Now dressed, she made herself some macaroni and cheese in the clubhouse kitchen when she heard the men coming in, laughing about Opie losing it at Lin's.

"You've impressed quite the handful of young ladies" Charlotte said to Opie, walking out of the kitchen, shoving a spoonful of macaroni into her mouth with a small smile.

"Yeah" Opie chuckled bashfully, "I'm sure Lyla wasn't too thrilled, though."

Charlotte shrugged and continued eating after hoisting herself onto a barstool next to Juice and Bobby. Bobby tried to stick his fingers in her bowl and grab one of the cheesy pieces of pasta but she elbowed him in the ribs instead.

"I don't share food shaped like cartoon characters." she said with a full mouth, pulling her bowl closer to her body.

"Cartoon characters?" Bobby asked, squinting to look closer at the macaroni swimming in the artificially yellow sauce

"Yeah" Charlotte said laughing, "It's Spongebob."

"Oh man," Juice said, "those kinds are so much better than the regular ones."

"I definitely agree." Charlotte said, nodding.

"Kip always ate those." At this statement from Juice everyone got quiet for a second until Lyla and Ima came in through the clubhouse doors.

Lyla looked at the bowl in Charlotte's hand and snickered, "Oh God, I would pay to not have look at cartoon shaped macaroni and cheese for the rest of my life and here you are eating it of your own free will."

"What can I say" Charlotte said loftily, "I'm a kid at heart." The two women smiled at each other and Charlotte passed Lyla a drink.

When Lyla approached Opie sweetly Charlotte watched them interact and felt a flush of envy tingle in her cheeks. She downed a shot hoping to dispel the feeling but to no avail. Watching Lyla lead Opie out of the clubhouse to go home together stirred the envy inside her even more so she hopped down from the barstool and went into the quiet hallway to call Tig. The ringing went on and on until his voicemail picked up. Charlotte was quiet for a long time - thinking, before clearing her throat and finally leaving a message. She closed the phone slowly and rested her head against the wall, trying to slow her heartbeat then went back to the bar and joined the men and Ima crowded around Juice's computer screen looking at a picture of a dead Cameron Hayes.

Her hand covered her mouth and she turned her head slowly to look at Jax's broken and confused face when Juice asked the question on everyone's mind, "Where's Abel?"

* * *

For the first time all day - between dealing with the two murderous Old Ladies, Gemma's missing father and helping Bachman get rid of the caregiver's body - Tig was able to sit down. He fell back on his bed and stared up at the popcorn ceiling with his hands behind his head then reached down into his pocket to pull out his phone. When he saw that there was a missed call and a voicemail left from Charlotte he sat bolt upright, suddenly alert; fearing the worst, before he pressed the playback button to listen to her voicemail.

The static-filled silence that began her message physically hurt him to have to listen to but when her voice broke through the silence he felt every muscle in his body relax. " _Hey...Tig."_ her voice was low and shaky, " _It's Charlie."_ his heart skipped a beat when she used her exclusively protected nickname. " _Um...how's your shoulder?" she cleared her throat. "No, um, I mean. I just."_ she paused and when she spoke again her voice was soft and level. "I'm going to be at our house when you get home. I'll be there, okay? I, um, I love you Alexander."

He stared off at the wall in front of him with a half smile on his face as a single tear trailed down his cheek. After thinking over the message for a few good minutes he laid back down on his bed, put the phone to his ear and replayed the message, the smile on his face growing.


	30. S&P

Charlotte stood in front of the row of bikes the SAMCRO men were mounting to pick up Gemma on their way to Vancouver with her sunglasses on to shield her eyes from the newly risen sun and her arms crossed authoritatively across her chest.

"Hey Char" Clay called to her from his seat on his Harley. She turned and walked over to him. "Make sure none of these idiots burn the place down while we're gone."

"You got it, Clay." she said, smiling at him. "Tell Gemma to bring me back some bonafide maple syrup, kay?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, I'm sure she'll do that." He kissed her on the cheek before starting the engine of his bike then she turned to Bobby and kissed him goodbye too before backing away from the bikes and standing with the other women lined up to watch them leave.

* * *

She decided to forego the work that needed to be done at her club today and instead worked on moving her clothes back into Tig's place and cleaning it so that it didn't look like it had been abandoned for almost a week and a half. While Charlotte hadn't really spoken to him since she left the message she had woken up that morning to a voicemail from him in which he simply stated, "I love you too."

Up til now everything had been so dark and bleak. Everyone was walking around with broken souls ever since Abel was taken, the loss of Half-Sack just compounded the grief everyone had be swallowing and pushing further and further down every day that Abel was gone. But when she walked into her and Tig's house and knew that she was going to be in bed with him under this roof soon she felt a little of that bleakness dissipate.

She was dancing around in a pair of Tig's cotton boxers, a tank top and thick socks while cleaning some dishes when her phone rang at sundown.

"Hello?" she said, reaching to turn off the radio that was blasting Shania Twain.

"Char-baby" Tig said, his voice panicked. "Gem's gone."

"What?!" she shouted

"She's gone, she's coming home. Fucking Tara left her alone with the Cutlass."

"Aw fuck" she breathed, running up the stairs with the phone to her ear to go put real clothes on

"She's going to find Abel."

When Tig said this Charlotte stopped dead at the top of the stairs. "She's what?! YOU DIDN'T TELL HER?! Buncha shitheads." she hung up the phone in anger then quickly got dressed and went to the clubhouse to wait for Gemma to show up.

* * *

"Act fucking natural, assholes!" she spat at the fringe members of the club that were in the bar and some of the croweaters as she paced back and forth.

"No offense ma'am but it's kinda hard to do with you walking back and forth like that."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face the young man who had spoken to her. While she blinked at him he recoiled but instead of yelling she said, "You're right, you're right." she shook her head. "Fuck."

Charlotte had finally been able to shake the nervous energy and sat down on one of the couches with an issue of Ebony magazine when Gemma burst through the doors asking the men she saw standing around the pool table if they had seen Neeta with Abel.

"Gemma?" Charlotte said, getting to her feet and feigning surprise. Gemma didn't hear or see her and ran back out the clubhouse doors. "Gemma!" Charlotte called out, throwing her magazine down and running after Gemma. "Gemma...Gemma. Stop!" When she reached Gemma in the lot she had a phone up to her ear and held a hand up to Charlotte to get her to be quiet. The look on spreading across Gemma face made Charlotte's heart stop; she knew what the person on the other end of the phone was telling Gemma.

Gemma slowly let her hand drop to her side and her eyes looked right through Charlotte and Charlotte saw the lights go out behind them. "Abel?" Gemma asked in a lost, searching tone. The roar of a wave of motorcycles coming into the lot drowned out the gasping sound Gemma made as she clutched her chest and fell to the floor, Charlotte holding onto her tensed body so she didn't hit her head.

"Gemma!"

"Gem!"

"Gemma!"

"Mom!"

"What happened?!" Clay asked angrily, knocking Charlotte out of the way and onto her ass.

"I-I don't know!" Charlotte said frantically, "She was on the phone and next thing I know...is she having a heart attack?"

"Oh, shit" Jax said then called to Tara for help.

Someone reached down and pulled Charlotte up off the pavement, she couldn't bring her eyes to leave Gemma's helpless form on the ground but when she felt the strong hand squeeze her shoulder she knew it was Tig and let out a dry sob.

* * *

Charlotte stood with her face buried in Tigs chest while he rested against the wall and they waited for news on Gemma til morning, not saying a word to each other. It wasn't until early in the morning when Tara came out with the cardiothoracic surgeon and told them that Gemma hadn't suffered a heart attack but and arrhythmia brought on by stress and a lapse in medication for her heart condition.

"You should go home." Tig said to Charlotte when the doctors had left, "You have work soon."

"No, I quit my job." she said shaking her head

"What?" he said, surprised

"Yeah, I quit my job and bought a strip club. I've been fixing it up."

Tig stared at her with his mouth open before blinking furiously and said, "Uh...okay. I guess we'll have to talk about that..." He saw Bobby gesture to the members of SAMCRO to follow him out of the waiting room and Tig took notice. "later." he finished his sentence then looked into Charlotte's eyes before following after Bobby and Jax, "I missed you, Sunshine. You have no idea." He gave her no opportunity to reply, just kissed her on the head and ran off.

"Hey sweetheart!" Clay called down the hallway to her, "I just got a call, turns out you have some visitors at the clubhouse. I can't leave not with…"

"I got it, Clay!" Charlotte said, smiling over her shoulder as she ran out of the hospital.

* * *

"SAM!"Charlotte cried when she got out of the Nova in the Teller-Morrow lot and ran into his arms.

"Hey Belle!" he said, swinging her around in a circle and laughing in her ear.

"Hey pretty one!" a familiar, tense voice said from behind Sam

"Pharm!" she said pulling him down to hug her

"I told ya I'd be out here to see the California girls." he kissed her on the cheek

"Is it just you two?" she asked

"Nah, we have a few more people inside taking advantage of the SAMCRO hospitality."

When the three of them walked into the clubhouse Charlotte greeted a short, stocky Puerto Rican man, affectionately called 'Ricky'; a young man with dark, Roman features who had a long scar from one corner of his mouth that extended almost all the way to his earlobe - the club had, in very poor taste, called him 'Gacy' after the infamous "Killer Clown"; a muscular, broad-shouldered, very dark-skinned Cajun named Romiel; and, to Charlotte's dismay, Hercules.

She had just finished greeting the men when she her a musical voice behind her, "Hey there, Lottie."

Charlotte whipped around and covered her mouth as she let out an excited scream. "What are you doin' here?!" she asked hugging her best friend

"Ugh, you did not think I was going to let you start a business without being here to work through the financials with you." Tiana flipped her dark bangs out of her eyes.

"I can't wait to show it to you." Charlotte said excitedly, "It's a piece of shit but I see potential."

"You have a habit of doing that with things." Pharm said, smirking at her

"Just like your mom." Tiana added, rubbing her friend's arm.

"So tell me about these Mexicans giving you problems" Sam said, sitting down on one othe couches.

"They were working with LOAN when they were still in town." Charlotte began, "The Mayans were the beginning of their means to an end. Turns out the fancy-pants pecker-woods were able to set up a prison contract for them." she looked around at the men, listening intently to her. "The problem is that the pipeline for the heroin runs right through Charming. So, they're patching over an MC in Lodi to give them as direct a path as they can to Stockton, they're surrounding Charming and - I think - they're going to try and muscle SAMCRO out so that they can have control of the entire stretch; no surprises."

"So wha thay wan frum us?" Romiel asked, his Cajun accent thick

"Someone with a vested interest in SAMCRO that they can trust to keep an eye out and not screw them over." Charlotte said

"What do we get for it?" Hercules asked pompously

"I don't know, you'll have to talk to the club about that but I would assume you'd be given free reign to handle business with the Mayans in whatever way is most financially beneficial to Hell's Lovers." She looked from the Vice President patch on Sam's kutte to Sam's eyes.

"Well, where's Clay now then?" Sam asked, looking around

"The hospital." Charlotte said sadly, "His old lady had a problem with her heart...I think it was the shock of finding out about the baby."

"Do you think we could…?"

"Of course" Charlotte said, standing up. "Not-not all of you though." she said putting her hand out when she saw all the men start to stand up at once. "That's a little overwhelming...it is a hospital afterall."

"Okay Gacy, you're with me." Sam said then followed Tiana and Charlotte out the door.

* * *

"Clay." Charlotte called in a hushed voice to him when she saw him standing in the hallway

"Oh, hey Charlotte. Sam." he shook Sam's hand firmly

"Name's Gacy." Gacy said, his low voice practically shaking the panes of glass in the windows on a molecular level.

"Clay." Clay said when he shook Gacy's hand

"How's your old lady?" Sam asked respectfully

"Doing better." Clay said, bowing his head momentarily "Thanks. Jax - my son - is just talking to her now so that's why I…"

"We don't want to take up too much of your time." Same said, "We just came to see what you think Hell's Lovers can do for you."

"Honestly," Clay said, shifting his stance to be more open and direct, "We don't care what happens to the Mayans or their bitch MC. There are only two things we want: safety in our community and to keep drugs out of Charming. Now, we've been pretty distracted recently so I'm not sure by what means we can accomplish that. So, right now, we need the extra bodies on the ground for protection and intel."

Sam was quiet for a little while until he rubbed his hands together and looked at Charlotte out of the corner of his eye. She nodded at him. "Then that's what you'll have." he said, smiling at Clay.

As if summoned by the goodwill of Sam's agreement to help Clay Juice, Bobby and Tig came around the corner; Juice was very beat up and missing his kutte. The men explain how the Calaveras had jumped Juice on a drug deal and stole his kutte. Clay, upset, decides to move past this setback and tells the men about the intel he had just gotten earlier in the morning from T.O. Cross.

"Wait, T.O. Cross, the president of the Grim Bastards?" Gacy spoke up, a smile breaking across his face.

Everyone turned to look at the mysterious deep voice that had spoken.

"Yeah…" Clay said.

"This Madina steak out" Sam said, smiling next to Gacy "we can help out. We know T.O. from a couple years back plus you probably need some unseen faces."

Clay shrugged and smiled. "Alright then, go get some intel. Thanks, man." he pat Sam on the shoulder.

Tig, Bobby, Jax, the two members of the HL, Charlotte and Tiana promptly left. On the way back to their vehicles Charlotte slowed Tig down by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Alex" she said softly, "there's someone I want you to meet." she turned to Tiana. "This is Tia." she smiled between the two of them.

"Oh, yeah." Tig said, shaking her hand and smiling and gentlemanly as he could. "The tweety bird bathing suit."

"What?" Tiana replied in a disgusted confusion.

"A picture from when we were little." Charlotte explained, "I showed it to him."

"Oh." Tia said, scanning Tig with shrewd eyes. "Must be weird looking at pictures in color." she spat at Tig.

"Tia!" Charlotte said, her tone scolding

"Well," Tig said over Charlotte's reprimand, smirking at Tiana and turning away from her, "you most definitely are Charlie's friend. Bye, babe. See you later." he pulled Charlotte close to him and kissed her passionately on the lips before letting go of her and giving Tiana and 'come-at-me' glare.

Before she could hide it, Charlotte saw the amused smile that had flickered across Tia's face. "Can you please not give him such a hard time?" Charlotte chuckled as she started her car

"Why, you worried his pace maker will give out?"

Charlotte couldn't help but smile. "No, I just wish you would trust me enough to know that I more than put him through his paces already."

"We'll see about that." Tiana said, narrowing her eyes.

* * *

"Well, here it is." Charlotte said as she opened the doors to the strip club.

"Hmm." Tiana said, looking around. "It's much bigger than it looks from the outside."

Charlotte snickered and took her friend's hand to lead her to the back alleyway while saying, "You have no idea." She pulled open the metal storm doors that were sunk into the ground and led Tiana down the rotting wooden steps. When they got to the basement Tiana was thoroughly unimpressed to be met by a standard prop cellar but Charlotte then pulled a handle on the far back wall and walked through another door. On the other side at the bottom of a long, rusting metal spiral staircase was a huge, open area the same floorplan as the club above. The ceilings were just as high as the club's above because the basement was sunk so deep into the ground.

"Holy shit." Tiana commented.

"I know." Charlotte said, excitedly. "I think it was used as some kind of underground sweatshop, probably drug distribution. I could have two clubs in one. It could be like a strip speakeasy or something!"

"You are insane." Tiana said, shaking her head, utterly amused by Charlotte's enthusiasm.

"Like a club within a club." Charlotte went on. "You'll have to get in to get in. I could name it Stripception!"

"Okay, you don't even have a liquor license...or walls." Tiana laughed as they ascended back up from the basement.

"Hey, Cher!" Romiel called through the club when he saw Tiana and Charlotte emerge from the alley door. "We gah yo call tell us cum ow disaway." He whistled as he looked around the building Charlotte had torn apart. "Gah gu bones, yeh it do." he nodded

"And that, my friend," Charlotte said, standing on her toes to kiss him on the cheek, "is why you're my favorite."

"We ca do-a summing wit dis. Foo day, no prahlum, Cher." he winked at her then turned to Pharm who was nodding in agreement next to Herc.

She smirked and took the three men down into the basement area. When they were sufficiently impressed she said she would meet them back at the club for their help to start drawing up plans.

* * *

Charlotte and Tiana arrived first with a bag of assorted tacos from Charlotte's favorite place and sat down at the bar to eat when the three members of HL came in carrying blueprint paper and other assorted tools from the local hardware store. Charlotte hopped excitedly from the stool and went to join them around the pool table to explain her plan to them.

"Yes, that's perfect!" Charlotte screamed and pulled Romiel to kiss him smack on the lips, jokingly, when Tig, Sam, Gacy and the rest of SAMCRO walked in. "Hey, baby!" she cried, throwing back another shot and jumping on Tig, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Sam glared at Tig who promptly put Charlotte on the floor at his look, then peered over the blue paper on the pool table. "Blueprints and vodka don't seem like the best combination." he commented.

"No, no." Tiana said, draping her arm around Sam's shoulder, "They are definitely on a roll. They have got this place figured out!"

"Yeah." Charlotte said, trying to be as serious as possible. "We definitely decided that a fishbowl big enough to fit humans to strip in was, probably, a bad idea...probably." She snickered and downed some more alcohol.

"It's going to be like Extreme Makeover Strip Club Edition!" Tiana exclaimed going from laughing to crying as she continued by saying. "You will have no idea what's happening and then all of a sudden...BAM! You'll see it and, like, you'll see it and you'll cry!"

"Are you going to make me cry, Romes?" Charlotte turned to Romiel and tried to keep him in focus

"I'll sure try, mon Cher" he laughed then turned to Sam, "Dey gah bored o' the plans an start drinkin'" he explained. "I'm stone dead, sober brotha."

Sam laughed and patted Romiel on the back, "Thanks for being S&P babysitter." Romiel rolled his eyes in response

"S&P, who's S&P?" Juice asked from where he was sitting at the bar.

"We are!" Tiana said aggressively

"Did you get your kutte back yet or not?" Charlotte asked, seemingly innocent.

Juice got to his feet and pointed his finger at the two girls. "I don't like you two together." he said, his pride hurt. "I don't even know you." he said specifically to Tiana. "But you're making Charlotte mean."

Tiana snorted into her cup. "Yeah, OKAY" she called after Juice who had walked away causing all the men to snicker at him as he did. "He's cute, why aren't you dating him?"

"Because he's also fucking stupid." Charlotte said, leaning into Tig. "In like a cute, guinea pig in a wheel way. But, Tiana Rosemarie, have I ever known you to own a guinea pig? No you never have. And neither have I."

"Ohhhh kay!" Tig said, clapping his hands together. "Time to pour you into the Nova, I think."

"Oooh, yeah." Charlotte said, a spark of drunken horiness igniting behind her eyes and she started run her hands up and down Tig's body. "Let's go hoooome."

"Absolutely." he said to Charlotte but turned to Chibs and said, "She'll be passed out before we even get in the driveway." Chibs laughed and pat Tig on the back in farewell as he walked Charlotte towards the door.

"Nononononono no" Charlotte said pulling back from Tig. "We can't forget Tia."

"Tia." he said, widening his eyes then letting his head hang down. "Of course Tia is staying with us."

"Yup!" Tiana said, putting her hand around Charlotte's waist and leading the way out the door. "Don't worry, I won't put your dentures in the toilet...probably."

Tig slapped his hand to his head and followed the two women out of the club at death march speed.


	31. The Push

Tiana opened the door to Charlotte and Tig's room the next morning after getting a call from Sam at the clubhouse. Charlotte's face was nestled in the white chest hair contrasted against Tig's tan, muscular pectoral and she was snoring. She had taken off her shirt so Tiana could see her periwinkle colored bra. It was obvious that Charlotte had passed out before being able to get her jeans all the way off because they were bunched up around her knees, severely constricting her movement. Tiana's gaze was jolted away from Charlotte's sleeping body when Tig stirred and opened his eyes slowly to look at her. From her spot at the door Tiana noticed the involuntary movement Tig made with his arm when he saw a stranger staring at Charlotte to shield her from view until he realized it was only Tiana.

"Can I help you?" he asked groggily, throwing the covers off himself to cover Charlotte's half naked body.

"Just wanted to make sure you didn't kick the bucket in your sleep." Tiana said sharply

"Who?" Charlotte asked completely out of context when she heard voices around her. She tried to sit up and push the disheveled mess of hair out of her face but the denim constraints around her knees dropped her back onto her face in the sheets. Rolling over, she pulled her pants down the rest of the way and threw them on the floor so she could finally stand up. "What are you both doing up so early?" she whined then focused on Tiana. "Why are you in our room? Did we have a threesome last night?"

Tig chuckled as he pulled a t shirt on over his head. "We didn't even have a twosome last night." he walked over to Charlotte and kissed her on the cheek. "Good morning, baby."

"Mornin'" she said, smiling brightly and touching the warm place where his lips had touched her skin.

"You need some coffee?" he asked, pushing past Tiana

"Yeah, thanks. I'll be right down."

"I'll take some too!" Tiana shouted down after Tig as he descended the stairs. "Ugh. You guys are grotesquely...moved in together."

Charlotte laughed, "Well I was never going to get the travel experience you do to leave a trail of broken hearts in every country." she said as she got dressed for the day.

Charlotte entered the kitchen with Tiana, wearing a chambray shirt that was long enough to cover the army green shorts she was wearing but it was open to expose to tangerine colored tank top she had on underneath.

She took the half full mug of coffee Tig had handed her and caught a whiff of the coffee that was coming off in the steam, "Is there whiskey in this?" she asked looking at him

"Hair of the dog, Sunshine." he winked at her. "But c'mon, drink up. I want you to come to the clubhouse with me this morning."

"We were going there anyway." Tiana said, crossing to pour her own cup of coffee

"We were?" Charlotte asked, taking big sips from the mug in her hand.

"Yeah, Sam's going to run some stuff he's doing for SAMCRO by Platte and then Romiel said he finished your plans."

"Ooh! That's excitin'" Charlotte said while she rinsed her now empty cup out. "I just want it to be up and runnin' already."

"Yeah, that's your problem." Tiana said, scoffing. "You have no idea about building a business from the ground up."

"But" Charlotte said, her tone upbeat as she held Tiana's face in her hands, "that is why I have you." she kissed Tiana on the lips and made a loud, 'MUWAH' sound when she pulled away.

"Ready to go, ladies?" Tig asked from the door.

"Yep!" Charlotte called back, running over to him and throwing her purse over her shoulder before tossing the keys to Tiana. "Get some breakfast." Charlotte told her before she got in the Nova.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Tig said, stopping in his tracks in the driveway when he saw Tiana get into the driver's side of the Nova. "You let her drive the car but I can't?"

Charlotte got lost in a fit of hysterical laughter. "She was fuckin' born in that car, of course I let her drive it." She took the helmet he was handing her and went on. "When you've been in my life for twenty-seven years and your umbilical cord gets cut by the same man who cut mine then I'll let you drive the car...maybe."

"Jesus Christ." he said, shaking his head before starting the bike and speeding to Teller-Morrow.

* * *

When they both got off the bike Tig grabbed Charlotte's arm gently before they walked over toward the men sitting outside the clubhouse.

"Hey." he said, softly. "I wanted to talk to you but with Gemma's heart and Little Miss Southern Hospitality living with us we haven't really gotten any time to be alone." she nodded in agreement "I just wanted you to know that I am so deep in this. Like, way deep."

She waited a little before answering him then said, "I really hope so, Tigger...because so am I. I don't think I need to tell you that I'm not exactly a 'second chance' type of girl." he shook his head and looked at his feet. "But ever since we" she chuckled as the memory pulled to the front of her mind "ever since we carved our names in that stupid door - which, by the way, is one of the most bizarrely romantic gestures I'd ever seen in my life - I have been in this. Now, some days I don't like being tied down any more than you do. But…" her voice trailed off as she looked into his eyes and at the weather-beaten, semi-wrinkled skin around them. "But, man, do I like you a whole helluva lot."

They smiled at each other, Tig kicking some rocks with his feet before saying. "I like you a hell of a lot too." Then he pulled her face to his to administer a long, passionate kiss where he felt as though he were tasting her lips for the first time again. The feel of her soft, plump lower lip as he drew it into his mouth and the coffee-stained taste of her tongue mixed with some whiskey was so intoxicating that he held either side of her face in his hands so he could make the kiss last as long as possible. It was the sound of primal whistling and hollering from the men outside the clubhouse who had seen Tig and Charlotte in the lot that broke Tig from his trance and he finally let go of her.

"Hey, next time keep your hands a little farther north, brother." Hercules said when Tig and Charlotte had joined the group.

"Alright then" Tig said then squeezed Charlotte's breasts from behind while making a honking noise. He and the other men around the table laughed until Charlotte slapped Tig half-heartedly on the back of the head, smirking at him in amusement.

When she settled down on the arm of the chair Tig had sat down in Sam, Gacy and Romiel came out of the clubhouse and gathered around the other men sitting at the table.

"Mornin' Belle" Sam said, leaning down to kiss her briskly on the cheek.

"Mornin' Sam, honey." she said, kissing him back "So what's the current plan with the Mayans and Calaveras?"

"We talked about it at length last night." Clay said, "I think our friends from Hell's Lovers have a good idea in suggesting we try to make peace with the Mayans."

"What?" Charlotte said, looking from her men and back to Clay

"Let's jus say weeda cumup wit a way dey Mexicans gon truss SAMCRO petit more den dose Calaveras." Romiel winked reassuringly at Charlotte

"Hey boys!" Tiana said, coming up with a large bag full of muffins and croissants, kissing each member of the HL hello. Charlotte stood up and walked into the clubhouse for the men to continue talking while they set up breakfast on the bar.

"'Scuse me!" Charlotte called demandingly to the three young men standing nervously by the bar. "You gunna help us or not?" At this they all jumped to their feet and rushed to help, almost walking into each other in their haste to be useful. One picked the bag out of Tiana's hands and the others went to get the paper plates for the members to eat off of when they got out of church. ""Make it look nice, like some kinda breakfast buffet." she ordered them then turned to Tiana and sat down on the couches with a mischievous smile on her face.

"What's all that about?" Tiana said, snickering at the three men scattering around like mice

"They're hoping to get voted in as Prospects today."

"Poor guys" Tiana said, shaking her head and laughing. "but Bebes are my favorite toy."

"Oh I know what you mean." Charlotte chuckled as well. She heard the door of the clubhouse squeak open and made a cruel decision to scream at one of the SAMCRO hopefuls called Shepard, "Are you looking at my legs?!" She stood up and walked closer to him confrontationally.

"N-n-no!" Shepard stuttered, looking from Charlotte to Tig who had just walked up behind her

"Oh, so you're saying I'm fat?!" she screamed, hysterically. The men behind her could barely contain the laugher that was shaking their whole bodies

"You called my fucking Old Lady fat?" Tig asked, his voice cold and empty before grabbing the kid by the back of the shirt and holding him up in front of Charlotte. "Go ahead, baby, knock his lights out."

Charlotte took a step toward the nervous boy and he flinched when she raised her hand only to bring it down gently across his cheek. "He ain't worth it." she said, smirking at Shepard and walking backwards from him. Tig pushed Shepard into the bar and the men continued walking into the chapel Chibs winking at Charlotte to express his amusement are her small display.

"Hopefuls?" Sam asked when she rejoined Tiana, a fond smile across his face.

"Yup" Charlotte said contently

"You're the worst." Hercules said. "I almost didn't get patched in because of the shit you and Tia pulled."

"Yeah...I remember that." Sam said darkly, remembering the similar position the two girls had put him in

Charlotte and Tiana burst into squeals of laughter, thinking back on Hercule's and Sam's time as Prospects.

"The only thing that saved you" Charlotte said to Sam, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, "was that Tia's pop had caught her with her Mandarin tutor and already knew she was gay!" she burst out laughing again.

"Wait, what?!" Sam said, sitting up in his seat. "I thought you didn't come out until you were a senior in college." The two girls shook their heads, laughing until their stomachs hurt. "Aw, fuck!" Sam burst out, "I was pissin in my pants literally every time I saw your father." he threw a pillow at the two of them and they squealed louder.

"How did I get so lucky, then?" Hercules asked with a playful smile, running his hand up Charlotte's thigh.

His question stopped her laughter immediately and his hand on her leg made storm clouds pass behind her eyes as she leaned into him and said, in a very low growl. "My father died, Herc." she looked down at his leather than back up to his now stony face. "That's the only reason you got that patch."

A jubilant roar burst through the doors of the chapel and broke through the tension amongst the Alabama guests as the men of SAMCRO came out into the bar, passing the newest transfer - Happy - around in a brotherly embrace. Charlotte hoisted a smile onto her face and went to go meet Tig at the bar.

"Gimme that" she snarled at one of the new Prospects and grabbed and bottle of beer from his hand to give to Tig. He looked on proudly at her interaction with the Prospect then turned to Happy and introduced the two of them. "Sure, I know Happy." Charlotte said, smiling and hugging the man in front of her.

"Oh, yeah? I didn't realize you two had met." Tig said, drinking his beer after Bobby pushed past Tig to give Happy his new patches.

"Yeah, at Kip's wake." she nodded then looked over at Kozik who was hanging back by the chapel door talking to Jax. "Didn't Koz patch in?"

"Ugh, you know him too?" Tig asked, refusing to follow her gaze to where Kozik was standing.

"Yeah" she said fervently "When the shooting started at the wake Kozik pushed me down."

Tig nearly choked on his beer. "What?" he said, hoping he had heard her incorrectly

"Kozik...he made sure my head was on the ground when the shots went off."

Tig pursed his lips together then spat, through bared teeth "God damn it."

Before she could ask what the problem was, Kozik had come up behind Tig and sucker punched him in the back, causing him to fall to his knees in front of her. Charlotte quickly took Tig's beer from his hand and put it on the bar next to her so he was free to charge at Kozik. The Hell's Lovers quickly jumped from their spot on the couches and pulled them out of the way - with the help of Juice - for Tig and Kozik to keep fighting. Charlotte moved to the front of the ring of antagonizers that had formed around the two and just shook her head while she watched Tig fight with a smile on her face. A bright red flush crawled up her cheeks with each punch thrown by Tig and the resulting _thwack_ or groan from Kozik as she got more and more aroused by this primal show of virility from her Old Man...the Old Man she hadn't been with in days.

When she couldn't take it anymore she stepped into the circle and kicked Kozik in the back of the leg so he fell to the ground then pulled Tig away from him by the front of his kutte.

"Take me to the back." she purred, pulling his earlobe into her mouth with her tongue.

"Oh fuck. Yes, ma'am." Tig says, his eyes wide, and hoisted her legs around his waist so she could continue kissing him as he walked them both quickly to the apartment through the hoots and hollers of everyone in the bar except for Tiana, Kozik and Hercules.

The first time was quick and dirty. As soon as Tig had closed a door behind them, then pulled his pants down around his ankles and started jerking off slowly to get his dick nice and hard for when her leggings and g-string were on the floor. When they were he slammed her up against the door and shoved himself unceremoniously into her, ramming his hips into her like a rabbit on speed. It took them both mere minutes to cum violently together, each of them letting out a loud, guttural exclamation of ecstasy before they collapsed onto the floor together, sweaty and happy.

"Gimme one of those." Charlotte said when Tig pulled a cigarette from the pack he had in his kutte pocket.

"You don't fucking smoke." he said with the butt of the cigarette in his mouth

"After that though…" she said, smirking. "Besides, I'm not done with you yet." her eyes twinkled as she rolled onto her stomach.

"Well then…" he said, passing her a cigarette with a smile on his face then lit it for her. "So, tell me about this strip club thing." he shook his hair back and turned to listen to her.

"Well," she said, propping her head up in her hand, resting her elbow on the floor under her "I got it after Cara Cara burned. I was walking around Stockton on my lunch break and I just...saw a really good looking building and decided to start a fucking strip club." she laughed at how uncharacteristically spontaneous it was of her. She turned her eyes up to his, "I wanted the girls to have a safe place to work." she shrugged and took another drag "I don't know, it's stupid."

"Hey." Tig said, flicking his finished cigarette to the side then rolled on top of her. "If it's something you want it's not stupid. I've seen you work a pole;" his eyes travelled down her body "with skills like that if anyone can start a successful strip club it's you." His eyes met hers again "I love you baby." he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her then hopped to his feet, saying, "C'mon, let's go again."

She got quickly to her feet and snubbed her half gone cigarette in the ashtray next to the bed before getting completely naked and climbing on top of Tig who was already laying down in it. Tig and Charlotte wove their fingers together and pushed their palms against each other as Charlotte lowered herself around Tig's erect penis. When he was inside her Tig let go of her hands and place them on her upper thighs instead, digging his fingers into her muscles; feeling every subtle movement she made around him. Charlotte fell forward onto her hands on either side of Tig's head as she lifted and dropped her hips against his, feeling his warm, throbbing member sliding in and out of her. Her breath was starting to quicken when there was a tentative knock on the door that they both intentionally ignored.

"Um, Tig." Filthy Phil's tentative voice came from the other side of the door

Tig squeezed the fleshy sides of Charlotte's waist in frustration, causing her to cry out in pain, and started violently jutting his hips up into her before screaming at the door. "You better think again before you say another fucking word Prospect." He sneered up at Charlotte whose chest was now rising and falling rapidly with each deep thrust into her.

It was quiet for a long time and Tig was massaging Charlotte's breasts - damp with sweat - as he delighted in the figure eight movements she was making with her hips until Filthy Phil spoke again. "It's just that, Clay wanted me to…" At the sound if his voice Tig abruptly sat up, still rocking his hips into Charlotte, reached over, grabbed his gun and fired a shot to the right of the door. "Oh shit!" Phil said from the other side before running off.

"Here, babe, you gotta..." Tig said, lifting her off of him and pushing her onto all fours in front of him. "There." He entered her again and started fucking her hard and fast, bending over to kiss the soft skin between her shoulder blades.

"Tig, let's go!" it was Clay outside the door now.

"Are you fucking kidding me, man?!" Tig yelled back, ramming himself harder against Charlotte's cervix causing her to groan with discomfort. "Ugggg! I'm almost done."

"Yeah" Charlotte whispered, looking over her shoulder at Tig, "C'mon. Cum for me" she begged

"Yeah, baby, good. Look at me." he pushed her hair out of her face so he could see her better "Thaaaaat's it" his anger subsided and he took a slightly gentler approach while maintaining his speed. Being able to look at her bright green eyes while feeling her wet, hot juices over his dick pushed him quickly over the edge and he was able to release himself with a final moan of pleasure.

"Jesus Christ." Charlotte said, pressing on her abdomen when she sat up. She was in pain but she smiled at him as he rushed to get dressed. "I really fucking missed you."

He smiled back at her as he buckled his pants. "I missed you too, Sunshine." he bent down and swiftly kissed her before running out of the room and straight into Clay who was still standing at the door. "You're a fucking asshole." he chuckled at his friend who smirked and slapped him on the back as they rushed out to hijack the Mayans' heroin.

"Hey Prospect." Charlotte called menacingly to Filthy Phil when she walked into the bar. He turned slowly to face her as she strode over to him. "Little piece of friendly advice." she said, grabbing the front of his shirt "Don't ever try to keep a woman from achieving orgasm again." she let go of his shirt roughly, pushing him backward then pointed at him. "You're on my shit list."

"Um, if it helps, your friends said they'd meet you at the club." Phil called after her, a tremor in his voice.

* * *

Charlotte walked through the doors of the club building with a tray full of iced coffees and set them down on the bar next to the blueprints that Pharm, Romiel and Tiana were gathered around.

"Okay," Charlotte said, settling in a taking a sip of the coconut caramel coffee she had gotten for herself. "tell me what I'm looking at."

"Oakey…" Romiel said, standing up and turning the blueprints so Charlotte was looking at it as though she were walking into the building through the front door. "We gun make dis here" he gestured to the room they were standing in "jus a titch mo petit. Gun bring in dis here wall" he pointed to the wall behind the bar. "Fo you putta smoll kidchen in der. So we gun havva move de door mo centered to da stage der." he pointed to the far wall opposite the entrance. "No gun do muchda dat wall" he said, pointing at the wall where the entrance was behind them. "But we gun build dis wall" he pointed to the wall parallel to the one the bar was up against, "out so we can put da fake entrance to da strip club downstairs. Den, we go build the restrooms in fronda dat."

"That sounds really great." Charlotte said, smiling down at the blueprints. "How about downstairs?"

He flipped the blueprints to the next page "We gun keep da size mostly down der, cept for build out to undda da bar fo da dressin rums."

"How about fire safety?" Charlotte asked, looking at where he had the exits for the basement marked

"Well" Pharm spoke up and pointed at each place he mentioned. "we figure there will be the two secret entry and exits in the bathrooms, one in the far left hand corner of the club that comes up from the dressing rooms below and a third that will use the alleyway cellar as an emergency exit."

"That feels like plenty." Charlotte said, turning to Tiana. "What do you think?"

"I'd say you definitely have your bases covered." she smiled at her friend and looked back at the building plans. "This really is going to be impressive...I should've known." she winked at Charlotte

"Now," Pharm said, "since we're going to have to move the bar when we build the kitchen anyway what says we pull it down today so that we can really get this place down to it's bones and get some bodies in here to start working."

"Lets do it!" Tiana said, jumping off the barstool she was sitting on and beginning by shaking it loose from the dirty floorboards and pulling it down.

* * *

"Woo!" Romiel said when he walked into the clubhouse behind Charlotte, Tiana and Pharm. "Dat was gud werk we dih der. I needa beer."

"You." Charlotte said to the Prospect closest to her - Eric, "You heard the guest"

"Yes ma'am!" he nodded and moved swiftly to get them all beers.

Charlotte heard Tig's angry yelling coming from behind the chapel doors and Kozik's voice yelling back at him. She was just shaking her head and had turned to say something to Tiana when the doors of the clubhouse were violently slammed open and a drove of officers piled in with their weapons raised.

"Sheriff's department!" they cried, "Get on the ground now!"

Charlotte pulled Tiana down next to her and met the eyes of Tig who had just burst through the chapel doors with the rest of SAMCRO and other members of HeLMCAL before they, too, got to the ground. They remained on the floor while the sheriffs and a few Charming PD searched the clubhouse area and were permitted to stand only when they had finished and decided to move on to the rest of the properties.

"Welp, haven't been in a raid in a while." Hercules said, patting Juice on the back, "Thanks for the excitement, guys." he chuckled and pushed out passed the men to have a smoke outside.

Sam looked sadly at Charlotte and pulled her to the side while everyone walked out onto the lot to watch the officers milling around the garage. "We don't need this, Belle." he said sternly to her.

"Neither do they." Charlotte said, protectively. "There's a missing baby and their queen is in the hospital...you really think they need this right now?"

Sam sighed and nodded his head. "Alright" he submitted "I saw they way they handle business today and it was impressive...this just caught me off guard, I suppose."

"You and them both, I'm sure." Charlotte said, pushing her hair out of her face. She smiled at Sam, "C'mon Sammy Boy, let's go outside." she put her hands on his shoulders and walked him out the door until he was laughing with her. Tig gestured Charlotte over to where he was leaning against a post. She walked over and straddled him with a smile on her face. "What did y'all do this time?" she asked playfully.

"Someone told them about the pharmaceuticals." Tig said darkly

"Who?" Charlotte asked under her breath so only he could hear

He shrugged, "No idea, maybe the doc Tara sold the drugs to."

"No," Charlotte said in a husted, resolute tone "Tara wouldn't be so careless." Tig simply made a doubtful face. "Alright, well, anyway" she ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it off her neck. "Be home for dinner?"

Tig cleared his throat and looked at his feet, hiding a sly smile that had crossed his face, "No darlin' there's something I'm gunna go do. I'll be home later though."

"Okay." Charlotte said, shrugging, then left toward her car with Tiana in tow and shouted to her HeLMCAL boys, "Shrimp 'n Grits tonight, boys! Eight thirty." They all cheered in response, causing Charlotte to chuckle as she pulled out of the lot.

* * *

Charlotte and Tiana had the time of their lives in the kitchen that night: laughing, drinking wine and listening to The Carpenters and Fleetwood Mac just like their mothers used to. Tiana's mother had grown up in the same trailer park as Charlotte's. They had been each other's maid of honors and Charlotte's mother and father were even driving Tiana's to the hospital when she had Tiana right in the back of their Chevy Nova. The pair of women and their little girls were most like sisters when they were in the kitchen and Tiana and Charlotte had carried on that spirit whenever they cooked together after their mothers were gone. They spent the moments between cooking talking about the sad sacks they had gone to high school with and when the fruits of their labor started to emit the pleasant aroma they remembered from their childhoods they started talking about their mothers and both started to get a little sad.

Luckily, before they got too deep into the depressing subject, Sam and the others were knocking on the door.

"Hey!" he said warmly, "What's going on in here?" he asked, walking through the house and into the dining room while Charlotte greeted the rest of the men.

"Just talkin' about old times." Tiana said while she cooked the apple wood smoked bacon on the stove to go in the nearly completed dish.

"It sure smells like old times in here." Pharm said, smiling around at Charlotte's house "You and the Old Man really put a nice place together here." he smiled at her.

"Thanks!" she said proudly, "Would y'all like a tour? It'll still be a couple minutes til dinner's ready anyway." They all nodded except for Hercules who decided to stay in the kitchen with Tiana and drink some more. When she had finished the tour of the small house with the not-so-finished basement Charlotte walked them all back into the dining room for them to sit down around the table before going back to help Tiana bring the food out.

"Oh man" Gacy said, dropping his fork onto his plate with a clatter, "better than Classic on Noble."

"Well thank you!" Charlotte said, flattered, then mumbled into her wine glass, "Liar."

Everyone chuckled and Tiana exclaimed, "I was about to say!"

"No, I think itta betta den dat, Cher. Jus perfect mount o' spice fo me." Romiel said, spearing another shrimp with his fork.

When everyone had finished their helpings of dinner Charlotte directed them into the living room, handed a stack of dessert plates to Tiana and followed them in with a Key Lime Pie to eat around the fireplace until Sam checked his watch and cleared his throat, interrupting the lively conversation taking place.

"Damn, it's almost two in the morning." he said, finishing his beer and standing up. "We have a lot of shit to do for SAMCRO while they're getting ready to go to Belfast."

Charlotte's heart sank. "Right, I forgot about that. No, definitely go. I'm sure Tig will be home soon anyway and he'll be beat."

"Night, Belle." each man said and kissed her on the cheek before they left.

"Alright, I'm going to turn in too." Tiana said after putting the dishes in the dishwasher. "You okay?"

"Yeah" Charlotte assured her as she wiped down the counter. "I'm just going to wait for Tig to come home. I forgot that I only have so many more hours before they leave for Belfast."

"That poor family." Tiana said, shaking her head. "I really do hope they find that little boy." Charlotte smiled weakly at Tiana as she pat her on the shoulder and went upstairs to bed.

A few minutes passed when a pair of strong hands wrapped around Charlotte from behind. "I didn't even hear you come i-" she began thinking it was Tig only to turn around and face Hercules, his face red with drunkenness. "How did you get in here?" she asked, pushing him off of her

"I never left, Belle." he smirked "I had to use the john and everyone must've just forgotten about me."

"How convenient." Charlotte said, seeing right through Hercules' rouse and started moving quickly toward the front door. "I think it's best for you to leave."

"I think it's best for you to give me some of what I heard you give your old man today." he said aggressively, grabbing the front of her shirt and ripping it open by tearing the strap and the side seam.

"Stop it!" Charlotte screamed, writing under his grasp and looking hopefully up the stairs for Tiana to hear her and wake up.

"No" Hercules said through a nasty grin, "I know how you like it so I know you want it." he grabbed her arm and bent it behind her back, smashing her face into the wall.

She kept moving and pulling against him as she screamed, "No, Herc! I'm saying no! Stop it, please!" He ignored her and ripped her leggings down to expose her ass cheeks. When he saw them he rubbed his disgustingly wet face against her cheek and growled in her ear. While his head was burrowed against her cheek she looked around next to her and reached her hand out toward a decorative rock crystal she had sitting next to one of the couches and swung it toward Hercules' head. In his already inebriated state he quickly dropped to the floor and she was able to move from his grasp. From his place of humiliation on the ground he lunged at Charlotte, taking her down by the knees but her flailing legs prohibited him from getting a tight enough grasp on her and, when one foot was free, she kicked him in the face - her heel connecting with his eye socket. Charlotte quickly scrambled to her feet and grabbed a vase that had flowers brought to her by Romiel for dinner that night and smashed it over Herc's head then ran out the front door to where Tig was already standing, gun drawn after hearing the sound of something smashing coming from inside his house.

"Charlotte!" he said, pulling her into his arms then putting her behind him and he walked slowly into the foyer of the house. When he saw Hercules struggling to get to his feet Tig cocked his gun and pointed it at Herc's head. "What the fuck happened here, Charlie?" he asked, his eyes wild with anger.

"Asshole tried to rape me." Charlotte spat, staring defiantly at Herc. When she saw Tig's finger begin to bare down on the trigger she put her hand to his and said, "Don't. Let him go home and be excommunicated. HeLMCAL can do much worse to him than we can."

After deep consideration and a lot of clenching of his jaw Tig dropped the hand holding his gun to his side and growled, "Get the fuck out of my house."

Hercules', knowing he had done wrong and being the coward her was, didn't wait for Tig to ask twice and was quickly gone from their sight.

"My god" Tig said, wrapping Charlotte in his arms and rubbing her back, "I should've fucking been here, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't do that to yourself" Charlotte said, turning her face to look up at Tig, "You came home just in time, and I'm thankful for that." she kissed him on the cheek.

"Where the hell is your little friend?" he asked angrily

"She's always been a heavy sleeper." she explained, shaking her head and looking at her feet.

"Are you-?!" Tig began angrily then bounded up the steps and slammed open the door of the guest bedroom where Tiana was still sleeping. "Hey!" he screamed, shaking Tiana's arm violently "You better be fucking dead, bitch!"

"Alexander!" Charlotte exclaimed, coming into the room behind her as Tiana began to stir "Leave her alone! She didn't do anything wrong!"

"She didn't fucking do anything!" he shouted, then turned to Tiana who was confused but awake now. "Hey, next time you decide to join the undead I suggest you make sure you don't leave your friend alone in the house with a drunk rapist!"

"What?!" Tiana mumbled as she tried to comprehend what he was saying.

"Yeah, you heard me!" he said as Charlotte pushed him out of her room, apologized, implored Tiana to go back to sleep and snapped the door shut behind her.

"Tig, don't get mad at her just because you're mad at yourself. The only person who deserves our anger is Hercules and I don't even want to waste time on that." she led him into their bedroom and looked sadly at him, "I forgot SAMCRO was leaving for Belfast tomorrow."

"Yeah." Tig said, putting his hands on his hips and looked at his feet before saying, "I should probably pack."

"Not tonight." Charlotte said softly, sliding his kutte off his back and hanging it up on the back of their door. When she turned around again to face him, he was rolling up his left sleeve to exposed a large bandage covering the outside of his arm. "What happened?" she asked in shock, reaching for his wrist to examine the dressing.

"Sit down." Tig said, smiling at her and guiding her onto the edge of her bed where he crouched down on his knees in front of her. "This" he began peeling the bandage across his arm. "is what I was doing tonight." When the bandage was completely off Charlotte saw her name tattooed across his arm in a bold Chopin Script.

"What did you do?" she asked, pulling his arm closer to her with a huge smile on her face. She ran her fingers gently across the elegantly swirling script and then put them to her lips in amazement.

"I told you." he said, smiling "I'm really in this." She laughed happily in response. "Do you like it?"

She couldn't take her eyes off the tattoo and how completely amazed she was that he would do something like that for her, "It's perfect, I love it." she said, pulling him into a hug.

"Good!" he laughed, relieved, "Because it's pretty permanent." His laughter stopped and he cleared his throat, "I like to think we are…" he cleared his throat again, with more purpose this time, before finishing his sentence, "...permanent." She blinked sweetly at him and ran his hand down his cheek. He grabbed her hand firmly and his eyes searched her still beaming face. "So how about it?" she furrowed her brow in confusion and chuckled at his out of context question. His voice got husky and he said, "When we get back from Belfast...marry me?"


	32. Widening Gyre

Tig sat quietly at the redwood table looking at the tips of his fingers and absent-mindedly rolling a cigarette between his thumb and forefinger until Clay pulled out a map of the UK to talk about their trip overseas and Tig was required to be emotionally present.

The men around the table were resignedly quiet as they thought about the dangerous task ahead of them when Clay picked up his gavel and lamely asked the men in front of him, "All in favor to close this morning's meeting?"

"Aye"

"I...actually have something I want to say." Tig said, getting quickly to his feet. Everyone turned to look at him with a hint of impatience to their demeanor; they were all so understandably on edge but Tig knew he had to say his piece before they left Charming and this was the last opportunity he was going to get to do it. When their attention was on him he cleared his throat and clapped his hands, rubbing them together nervously. "Hi guys, okay, hey. Good." he swallowed and looked solemnly at Jax, "I just wanted to say that...Jax, man, there is no doubt in my heart that we are going to find Abel. We're going to find your little boy, man." he put his hand to his chest and nodded. "Cuz - I'll tell you right now - there's no way I'm going through with my wedding if I can't have him be our ring bearer." The corner of his mouth turned up slyly in the confused silence that followed his statement.

"No fucking way." Clay broke the thick silence first, looking around the table and then back to Tig with his mouth hanging open before jumping to his feet and pulling Tig into a congratulatory hug; beating him enthusiastically on the back.

"Oh my god!" Chibs exclaimed happily, running his hands over his head in shock then embraced Tig as soon as Clay had let go of him.

Jax and Opie were so overcome by unpredictability of Tig's getting married that they were both holding onto each other for support while they laughed. Jax regained his composure and started clapping loudly, smiling at Tig. "Alright!" he yelled, full of excitement.

"Really happy for you, man." Opie said, making his way around the table to hug Tig.

After loudly cheering when they heard the news Bobby held his hand out expectantly to Juice who stood up and kicked the chair he had been sitting in before digging into his pockets and dropping some bills into Bobby's hand. "God damn it." Juice said, a little more loudly than he meant to. "No, I mean." his face turned bright red "Of course I'm happy for you Tig…"

"He's just mad he lost fifty bucks! Heh heh!" Bobby gloated in Juice's face before turning to Tig and pulling him into a warm embrace. "I knew she'd be the one." He poked Tig in the chest and winked at him.

When Charlotte heard the cries of jubilation through the thick chapel doors she flushed happily. After they were opened she turned around and met the men coming out with an overjoyed smile. Chibs ran over to her quickly and hoisted her up off the floor, bouncing her in his arms as he let out a sort of battle cry and started laughing before putting her back on her feet so she could hug Bobby.

Clay and Tig held back and watched as the men greeted Charlotte with a warm excitement. "This is good." Clay say, his hands in his pockets, "We needed this today." he turned to Tig and pat him on the shoulder. "Thank you, man."

"Nah," Tig said, shrugging, "it was just good timing." he looked over at Charlotte and smiled at her glowing face. "It just happened to be what I needed too." He straightened up and walked quickly over to Charlotte's side when he saw Kozik approach her.

"Congratulations." Kozik said, kissing Charlotte on the cheek before Tig came over and pushed him away from her.

"Don't talk to my Old Lady, kay?" Tig said, puffing out his chest to back Kozik away from her.

"Aw, c'mon Tig-!" Kozik began

"Hush, Alexander." Charlotte scolded, slapping the back of Tig's hand that was holding Kozik at bay. She reached down and squeezed Kozik's hand reassuringly, "Don't pay this big bully any mind." she winked at him and moved to go talk to Juice and Piney, "And thank you!" She added then made a face at Tig who huffed with frustration and turned away from Kozik.

After a few minutes of being congratulated by the rest of the men Charlotte walked bashfully over to Clay. "Clay" she said softly, getting his attention, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure thing sweetheart." Clay said, getting up and walking into the corner with her. "I'm really happy to see you and Tig together." he said as though he were trying to quell any worry that she may have otherwise.

"Thank, Clay." she smiled, "That means a lot." she coughed into the back of her hand then looked back up at Clay. "I just...I don't know if I should tell Gemma. With her going away and already not able to see Abel I don't want to give her another reason to…" her voice trailed off.

"You're right." he said, looking into his beer "Don't tell her today." he met her eyes again, "Just not today."

"Okay." Charlotte said, nodding with a sad smile before Clay bent down and kissed her on the cheek then walked away.

* * *

The boys left again a couple hours later to help out their allies, The Grim Bastards, handle some continuing business with Calaveras but Charlotte stayed put in the clubhouse not wanting to miss SAMCRO leaving for the airport. She was reading a magazine while the three prospects cleaned around her when the handful of HeLMCAL members walked into the clubhouse.

"Hey" Charlotte said, sitting up, "Where have you been?"

"Looking for Herc." Sam said, steam practically coming from the ears. "We found his kutte on the bar here when we woke up this morning and his bike is gone."

Charlotte looked at Tiana who was staring at her feet. "You didn't tell them?"Charlotte asked her.

"I-I didn't really know...I wasn't sure what..." Tiana said, her eyes watery.

Charlotte stood up and hugged Tiana tightly, "It's okay." Tiana squeezed Charlotte's hand before she turned back around to Sam. "Herc stayed back from dinner last night" she looked at every one of the men standing in front of her right in the eyes. "and attacked me." Any expression the men had one their faces slid off completely when she said that. "Tig came home just in time to stop it...I told him the MC would take care of Herc. Chickenshit bastard must've decided to run instead."

"Fuck!" Sam said, then kicked a barstool

"I'll call Platte." Gacy said, already holding a phone to his ear.

"Lottie I'm so sorry." Tiana said in a hushed voice when the boys huddled together to try and figure out the problem they now had on their hands

"It's okay." Charlotte laughed, rubbing her friend on the back then kissed her temple. "It's okay. Hey, you'll stay in two a few more weeks, right?"

"Of course, I'm certain that at least Romes and Pharm are staying to help you with the club. My brother is coming soon too, I think." Tiana replied "Why?"

"Well" Charlotte began, taking a big breath in and holding her friend's hands in each of hers "the boys are leaving for Ireland today and, when they get back, Tig and I are getting married."

Tiana let go of Charlotte's hands, her mouth ajar. "Are you serious?"

"Yes Tia." Charlotte said firmly, "And I'll thank you to accept that real soon." she held her head up as they looked into each other's eyes.

Tiana looked away first. "I'm happy for you, of course I am." she said, holding her arms in front of her chest. "I just haven't seen my best friend in a long time, Lottie." she looked at Charlotte in the eye, "She was lost to me for a long time...almost six years you weren't yourself. I just miss you." She pulled Charlotte quickly into her arms and hugged her, breathing in the smell of her hair.

"I missed you too, Tia" Charlotte said, holding her friend tightly. "I know that it hurt you when I went away and became this-this drugged up, shell of a person...especially after your mom" her voice cracked and she shook her head "But, I'm back now and...you're my sister, Tia." she pulled away from her friend to look in her eyes, "You will always be in my life and, right now, my life is happening - big time. Will you be there for it?"

Tiana dabbed the tears from her eyes and smiled at Charlotte, "Of course." she agreed, smiling softly "I will not start taking it easy on that fleshy urn you're marrying, though."

Charlotte chuckled with her, "I wouldn't have it any other way." She walked arm and arm with Tiana over to where the men had sat down around a table with serious looks on their faces. Cards?" she asked, sweetly, trying to turn up their spirits.

Sam smiled sadly at her and nodded, "Sure."

* * *

"Hey baby." Tig said, coming up behind Charlotte while she was squealing indignantly, throwing the handful of cars in her hand playfully across the table at Gacy who was laughing and dragging a pile of peanuts toward his chest.

She got up from the table still laughing and held onto Tig's kutte, smiling up at him. "Hey back" she ran her fingers up the back of his neck and into his hair while she kissed him.

After giving her a series of kisses he looked down at her and said sadly, brushing her hair out of her face, "It's about that time." he took his kutte off and handed it to her.

Charlotte looked down at the leather in her hands and squeezed it gently, "Yeah, okay." she said, her voice cracking before she could bring herself to look at him again. When she did, he smiled reassuringly at her and walked her out of the clubhouse with him, shaking the hands of the HeLMCAL members and winking at Tiana before he left. The two of them stood together next to the tow truck and watched as the men threw their bags into the back of the van and said their goodbyes.

"Okay" Tig said as he was about to get into the tow truck with Clay and Jax, rubbing Charlotte's upper arms, "I'll see you soon." he kissed her firmly on the forehead "Get yourself a pretty, white dress while I'm gone." he called out the window after having hopped into the cab of the truck. She laughed at his comment and turned to Lyla who had walked up next to her to watch as the men pulled out.


	33. Empty Crow's Nest

"Well hello, Mr. Trager." Charlotte said smugly when he walked out of his jail cell and into the hub of the station. "I heard you had a mighty fine drive."

He lifted her into his arms and spun her around "Oh, baby, you would've loved it." he said, collecting his personal effects from one of the officers. "I wish you had been in the truck with me it would've been some real Bonnie and Clyde shit."

"Maybe you'll take me on your next three county-wide high-speed car chase for our honeymoon." she laughed, flipping her hair.

"Uh, that's not gunna happen." Unser spoke up "Your license has been suspended for two years."

"What?!" Tig said, incensed

"That's bullshit!" Charlotte joined in, turning on Unser

"How am I supposed to work?! How am I supposed to ride?!" Tig continued

Charlotte pulled him out of the door by his kutte saying, "C'mon, I'll have one of the boys pick you and the truck up from impound." and continuing to glare over her shoulder at Unser. She dropped Tig off at the impound lot and called the garage to have someone come pick him up.

"Teller-Morrow" Chucky answered

"Hey Chucky, send Kozik out to the impound lot to pick up the truck. Tig'll be there waiting with it."

"Uh...are you sure you want Kozik?"

"Did I stutter, Chucky? Just tell him to go now, please. Thank you. Bye now." she said rapidly, her tone sickeningly sweet, before hanging up the phone. As soon as she hung up her phone rang again, "Hello?"

"Hey Charlotte." it was Lyla "Are you and Tara at the garage?"

"Yeah, hun. I'm on my way there now."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes."

* * *

When Charlotte pulled into the lot she saw Tara walking into the office in her scrubs with Chucky, the prospects polishing the members bikes, Gacy and Romiel fighting in the ring while Sam, Pharm and Tiana watched, and she smiled - feeling like she was home. She got out of the car at the same time Lyla, who pulled in behind her, did and they walked together toward Tara; both giving her a hug.

"Glad to see you two getting along." Charlotte said, popping a piece of gum into her mouth and smiling at the two of them

"Lets just say mutual hate breeds mutual admiration, I guess." Tara said, smiling at Lyla

Lyla slipped her hand through the crook of Charlotte's arm and said to Tara, "Can we talk?" The three women walked over to the nearest table and sat down. Lyla asked them both if they knew of a good clinic she could go to for an abortion. Unable to be of much help since Charlotte didn't really know any close by and Tara didn't know any that took cash they both could only offer to ask around for her.

"What's going on over here?" Tig said, walking up to the table the women were at, "You girls picking out centerpieces or whatever?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes at Tig. "Yeah, I'll get the leather flowers that smell like beer. Those'll really compliment the interior decoration of the clubhouse."

"Wait..." Tara said looking from Tig to Charlotte, "what are you guys talking about? Are-are you getting married?"

"Yeah, where the hell have you two been?" Tig said, squeezing Charlotte's shoulders before heading to the garage for work.

"Congratulations!" Lyla cried, hugging Charlotte while Tara sat there with her eyes wide and a huge smile on her open mouth.

Tiana joined the table they were sitting at and Charlotte introduced the women to each other. Soon, they were all talking happily until the sounds of Tig and Kozik screaming at each other in the garage interrupted them.

"What is their issue?" Tara asked Charlotte, looking over her shoulder at them.

"I have no idea, I haven't gotten to talk to Alex about it yet." Charlotte squinted over at them as well. "They're like two high school girls, I swear." The three girls snickered and Charlotte stood up from the table and went to see Tig in the garage. "You synced up or somethin', ladies?" she asked Kozik and Tig, interrupting their argument.

"Asshole took my tools." Tig explained to her

"Do you realize how childish you sound?" she said loudly so Kozik could hear

"Yeah, see!" Kozik said

"You're no better, moron!" Charlotte said, shutting him up. She moved close to Tig and said, her voice hushed, "You ever gunna tell me what this is about?"

He sighed and hung his head then said quietly. "Remember I told you about Missy?"

"Yeah." she said, rubbing his back to comfort him.

"It was him. He's the one who was watching her when it happened." he sniffled to fight back the sadness that was creeping up his cheeks. In response, she pulled his head to her heart and scratched the back of his head soothingly.

"Hey," she said, hoisting a smile onto her face, "How about you blow off work today and come to work with me and the boys."

He looked over his shoulder at Kozik and made a face in his direction, "That sounds like a plan."

"Tig!" Chucky called from the office "Lumpy, line three."

Charlotte waited by the car he was working on until he came back out into the garage, unbuttoning his work shirt. "Alas" he sighed, bending down to kiss her "club business calls." Charlotte nodded in understanding and kissed him goodbye before he left with Kozik and two of the prospects.

Before she left the garage to go to the club Charlotte's cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"I've been waiting for a phone call from you." Platte's voice said into her ear, "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Hi Platte" she said with a sweet innocence she employed to get herself out of trouble. "It's been so busy here that I-"

"Yeah, yeah" he said dismissively "I understand." he sighed "First of all, when do we have to be out there for the wedding?"

"I don't know yet." she said, "It all depends on when SAMCRO gets back with that poor baby. Maybe a week?"

"Alright, I'll put the word out. Let everyone know so we can be there for it. It'll have to be a quick trip, can't leave the charter unattended for too long; we'll probably fly out."

"I would love that." Charlotte said

"Now" he hesitated before he went on, "what do you want me to do about Hercules?"

She thought for a while before answering, "Get on the horn. Let everyone know what he looks like and where he's wanted. Get the message across that he's not welcome back in Anniston - however you want to do it." she sighed, "And make sure Mary Rebecca is taken care of."

"Is that all?" Platte asked, paying close attention to her wishes

"Get his ink off" she said coldly "make it hurt."

"With pleasure Ma Belle. I'll see you soon honey."

* * *

Waking up after having hosted HeLMCAL for dinner the night before Tig rolled over to find Charlotte's side of the bed empty. Not bothering to put clothes on over the boxers he wore to sleep he scratched his balls as he walked loudly down the stairs to meet Charlotte in the kitchen where he smelled her cooking breakfast. She wasn't behind the stove as he expected her to be but, instead, sitting at the dining room table looking wistfully at her parent's wedding picture that they had since gotten framed.

"Hey hun." she said, jerking from her reverie and getting up to kiss him good morning.

"Hey yourself" he said, smiling down at her. He picked up the picture she had discarded on the table to go back to working on breakfast. "What's on your mind, doll?"

"Nothin'" she said simply

"Liar?" he said the word as a question, propping the frame back up on the side table in the living room

"No" she laughed, "Just, nothing, you know? Just random flutterings about."

"Flutterings about?" he repeated with a chuckle. She smiled over her shoulder and nodded. "So give me one of them."

She sighed, "Well, I was wondering whether or not I wanted to wear Momma's weddin' dress."

"Oh" he said lamely, unable to be of use in this particular situation.

She put the plates with their breakfasts on it down on the table and continued. "You know, if she were alive - first of all, I wouldn't be marryin' you" Tig shrugged with acceptance "Second off, I wouldn't have to do any of this weddin' stuff because she'd have taken it all over anyway. I'd be gettin' married in some gaudy hall with a fairy princess dress on."

"Is that what you want?" he asked

"No." she shook her head, "That's never what I would've wanted...but, I can't help thinking - with her gone - that it's what I should do now."

"Well" he said, chewing as he thought how best to answer her, "you're already marrying the likes of me so you may as well just hit this one out of the park at this point."

"Yeah, right?" she said, laughing and cutting into her eggs in a basket. "I don't know," she said through a full mouth. "I just think that Momma's weddin' to my daddy was so beautiful and simple." she sighed "That's all I want, really."

"So do it, Charlie." he said firmly to her "I'm sorry" he turned his head up to the ceiling as though talking to someone hovering about their head and Charlotte realized he was directing his apology to her mother up in heaven, "I'm sorry, but," he turned back to face her "honestly...fuck her, Charlie" Charlotte gave him a warning glare. "No, no" he said holding up his hand to keep the outburst he saw lurking under the surface at bay, "I'm serious. Do what you want to do, do what makes you happy...it's gotten you this far in life, and-and I think that - more than anything - that's what your mom really wanted whether she thought she knew it better than you did or not."

"Surprisingly well put." Tiana said from the doorway, sneaking up on the two of them while they were deep in conversation, then crossed to make herself a plate. "Listen, Lottie." Tiana said when she sat down across from her. "Auntie Cora was a great lady, but her biggest flaw was refusing to accept the fact that you were too much like the girl she was growing up to be the girl she wished she had been; wished you to be. She did want the best for you, she just didn't bother to ask you what you wanted first." she shrugged and took a sip of her coffee

"Okay" Charlotte said after a minute in deep consideration of what had been said then immersed herself in her breakfast until Tig answered his phone while still shoveling eggs into his mouth.

"Shit" he said when he hung up and got up from the table. "Lumpy's got trashed last night." he explained, "Lump got beat too, he's at St. Thomas."

"Shit" Charlotte echoed after hearing the news then stood up and kissed him briskly on the cheek, picking his plate up off the table.

When he had left and Charlotte had finished rinsing off his plate into the sink she turned to Tiana and said tentatively, "Hey...will you come with me to a seamstress or something today?"

Tiana beamed at Charlotte and said, "Sure!" enthusiastically

After climbing up into the attic and bringing down a long, flat box with a small, oval window that Charlotte could see the ivory lace through, she and Tiana headed out to town to find a seamstress.

A squat woman with her black hair pulled back into a severe knot on the top of her head met Charlotte and Tiana when she heard the bell jingle, announcing their entrance into her store.

"What I can do for you, lovelies?" she said, her thick Russian accent coating each word before she spoke it.

"Hi" Charlotte said, approaching the counter to put the box down. "I'm getting married, and-"

"Oh congratulations." the proprietor said, her tone flat

"Thank you" Charlotte smiled. "Anyway, I wanted to wear my momma's dress but I'm sure it will need to be taken in some and I also wanted to make some design alterations as well." She opened the box to look at the dress for the first time since her mother had died ten years ago.

The woman's face became pinched when she looked down at the pile of fabric in front of her. "Hmmph." she grumbled, picking up the lace in her hands to look at the top of the dress. "You did not preserve this very well." she announced

Charlotte exchanged a nervous look with Tiana, "I don't know, ma'am. What I mean to say is, I didn't preserve it...I'm not sure what my momma did with it."

The woman pulled the dress out of the box and held it up high in front of her. As soon as the bundle of white fabric was unfurled from the box one of the lace sleeves fell off and Charlotte could see the holes that had been chewed through the lace and silk underneath. Seeing the massacred dress, she gasped audibly. "Yes." the woman said, picking up the rogue sleeve and putting a pudgy finger into one of the holes that had been chewed into it. "She did nothing." She looked at Charlotte's crestfallen face. "I can try to salvage some fabric so maybe you can put it on a new dress?"

"I-I'll think about it" Charlotte said graciously to the store owner and picked up her box to leave.

"Oh, Lottie I'm sorry." Tiana rubbed her friends back as she sunk onto a bench on the sidewalk.

"I have to have her with me Tia." she said, holding back tears. "Neither of my daddy's are here to walk me down the aisle, Mellie isn't here to...I don't know, hold my dress while I pee." Tears dripped onto the box across her lap as she looked down at the dress inside. "This is the only way to have her with me."

"No, honey it's not." Charlotte scoffed at this and rolled her eyes, "Really, it's not!" Tiana assured her. "We can take the dress and make it into something new for you to wear. If she were still here, Charlotte, you wouldn't even want to wear that old thing and there's no way Momma would've let you cut it like you always wanted." She slid the box out of Charlotte's hands and held it for her. "You will be wearing this dress one way or another on your wedding day, I promise." She took Charlotte's hand and led her back into the seamstress shop. "Excuse us, ma'am?" she called to the Russian woman who appeared from the back. Tiana slid the box back across the counter. "See what's useable in here." she smiled sadly and the woman nodded sternly and walked into the back with the box.

Back on the sidewalk Tiana turned to face Charlotte and held her by the shoulders. "Now listen to me Lottie. You have gone through so much shit and it's not fair that it should follow you into what's supposed to be the happiest day of your life. So, you are going to breathe, I'm going to ply you with some wine and we are going to get you a wedding dress."

Charlotte chuckled wetly and wiped the tears from her face, "Okay."

* * *

After buying a six pack of some cutsie personal bottles of sangria Tiana took the wheel of the Nova and drove the hour and a half to San Francisco while Charlotte pounded down the sangria, her increasing drunkenness made apparent each time she asked Tiana where they were going.

"San Francisco?!" Charlotte said excitedly as they passed the sign welcoming them to the city.

"Hell yeah" Tiana said, "We're going to find you _the_ dress. So I figured we better find a bigger city."

"Do you even know where to go?" Charlotte asked, resting her head out the window.

"No" Tiana said, chuckling. "We'll just ask someone!"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Charlotte squealed, getting on her knees in the passenger seat "Can we stop at a mall where there's a Spencers or something so I can get one of those tacky bedazzled shirts that says 'The Bride' on it."

Tiana joined in with Charlotte's laughter, "Of course!"

* * *

"I want the pink one!" Charlotte screamed in her drunkenness when they were in the back of the novelties store, grabbing a bedazzled tank top off the shelf. She ran back up to the cash register and slammed the shirt down on the counter. "Ring me up, good sir, I am The Bride." she said regally.

"These too." Tiana said, throwing a handful of plastic necklaces made of penises, one with a shot glass attached to it, and some glitter tattoos that said things like, 'I do' and 'Buy my shots'

"She's my maid of honor." Charlotte told the silent cashier then gasped, "Do you have maid of honor shirts?!"

"No, no." Tiana said, laughing "We're not getting one of those."

"I think there's a David's Bridal in this mall." Charlotte said when they left the store.

"Pfft. No way" Tiana said, "I'm not taking you to some chain store to find a comparable wedding dress to your momma's."

"Fine...but I want a pretzel." While Charlotte waiting on line at an Auntie Anne's kiosk she took off her shirt, exposing her bra and bare stomach to pull on the tank top she had bought. She caught the eye of a mother, her mouth open, hiding her son's eyes from Charlotte's indecency. "Oh get over it lady! Walk three feet down the hall that-a-way and he'll be looking at the same thing twelve feet big in front of a Victoria's Secret." The woman walked away, disgusted and Charlotte stuck her tongue out at the back of her head.

"Good for you, honey." a large black woman said as she walked passed Charlotte, touching her arm gently and winking at her.

"When are you getting married?" another woman, holding a child on her hip said to Charlotte, looking at her new shirt

"In, like, a week. We're going to try and get a dress today since my momma's was ruined."

"Oh w-wow." The woman said, "That's soon to just be getting a dress now."

"We're in kind of a rush." Charlotte said, nodding, "See, he's going to pr…" despite her inebriation she was still able to censor herself "Prague soon to work with some orphans."

"That's amazing." the woman said, patting her baby on the back. "You know, you should go where my sister-in-law got her dress. It's a really chic place: Amy Kuschel Bride. It's a high-end designer place so they should be able to give you some specialized attention."

"Oh my gosh…" Charlotte said, holding her hands to her chest then reaching out to hug the woman "Thank you so much!"

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed, shielding her child's head and laughing, "You're very welcome."

Tiana got directions from the woman while Charlotte sunk her teeth into a pretzel dusted with cinnamon.

* * *

"Oh my god." Charlotte gasped when she opened the door to the bridal boutique and looked around. She walked across the floor, past the associates getting to their feet to help her and looked at the mannequins in front of her, all wearing short length dresses. "Look at these, Tia! They're beautiful."

"Hi" a young girl with bright red lipstick and dark walnut colored hair, a big, welcoming smile across her face. "How are we today?"

"Great!" Charlotte said, excitedly, shaking the woman's hand

"I'm happy to meet you, Ms..."

"Charlotte" she giggled, shrugging then holding out her hand to introduce Tiana. "This is my maid of honor, Tia."

"Nice to meet you." the woman said, shaking Tiana's hand as well. "Well, I'm Eloise and I'm here to make shopping for your wedding dress as pleasant as possible. I can see you were drawn to our shorter dresses. Tell me a little about what you're looking for."

"Well" Charlotte said, running her fingers over the lace of the dress closest to her. "I was planning on wearing my momma's dress but when I opened the box it was pretty much completely useless...but I love that dress!" Charlotte faltered and looked at her hands.

"Tell me about it." Eloise put her hand supportively over Charlotte's, giving her a warm smile

"My momma got married when 'groovy' would've been a good way to describe her dress." Charlotte began and then went into detail about her mother's dress. "I really loved the lace for sure." she expanded. "But the sleeves were kind of ridiculous and I think I would look better in a different neckline. Aside from that and the length, though...that's what I'm looking looking for."

"I think I have a few things that will make you very happy." Eloise winked at her. "I'll be right back."

Charlotte and Tiana took each other's hands and smiled excitedly at one another. "You excited?" Tiana asked.

"I really am" Charlotte whispered, "I didn't think I would be."

"Here we are." Eloise said, laden with dresses then hung them up.

Charlotte tried each dress on after Eloise had pulled a taffeta privacy curtain around the area Charlotte was in. They were all in the wheelhouse of what drew her to her mother's dress. The third dress she tried on, though, made her skin prickle with warmth when she looked at herself in the large, trifold mirror. It's silhouette was that of a mini a-line shift with a semi-sweetheart neckline that was overlain with a dahlia lace design that cover the entire shift, extended upward to form the bateau neckline and made the three-quarter sleeves that hugged Charlotte's arms.

"It comes in tea length and knee length." Eloise said, hiking the tea-length hem up so Charlotte could see what it looked like in a knee length

"Oh, wow." Charlotte said, looking at the slightly shorter dress. "That makes it even better." She turned around in the mirror to get a view of the back of the dress and was pleasantly surprised to see the plunging v-backline that came to a point past the bottom ridge of her shoulder blades. "That's perfect." she flexed her shoulders in the dress and smiling before turning back around again, grabbing her hair up off her neck, scrutinizing the dress as a whole. "This is perfect." her tone was hushed as she turned around to look at Tiana who was misty-eyed. "This is perfect." she said more loudly and confidently, smiling happily. "This is the one."

"Ahhh! I agree!" Tiana said, jumping to her feet and running to embrace her friend. "It's perfect, I love it so, so much on you." Her smile grew as she said matter-o-factly, "You just bought your wedding dress."

"Ahh!" Charlotte screamed then repeated, "I just bought my wedding dress!"

* * *

The thrill of the purchase followed Charlotte and Tiana all the way home while the dress hung in a heavy-duty garments bag in the back seat. They had decided to bring the dress home as is and have what little alterations it needed done at home in Charming. Night had fallen by the time Tiana pulled the Nova into the driveway and they walked through the front door, laughing and joking.

"Where have you been?!" Tig said angrily when the door opened and Charlotte walked in.

"San Francisco." she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Calm down"

"Calm…?" he balled up his fists and took a deep breath, refusing to look at Charlotte in fear he would explode in anger. "It didn't occur to you to even call?" he asked through gritted teeth looking from Charlotte to Tiana.

"We were busy shopping" Charlotte said abrasively, placing the garment bag gently over the couch and crossing her arms. "Do you have a problem with tha-"

"YES!" he screamed, "Yes I do have a problem with that." his breath was rapid in his chest "I don't need to know where you are at all times, Charlotte, but when I do need to know where you are I need you to be there to fucking tell me." He put his shaking hands on either side of her head and looked into her searching eyes before closing his slowly and saying, "Someone's taken Tara."


	34. Bainne

"This is not FUCKING happening right now" Charlotte said for what must've been the fifteenth time since finding out about Tara being held for ransom while she paced back and forth in front of the bar late the next morning.

"Would you shut the fuck up, Charlie." Tig snapped at her "Otherwise, I'm gunna tell this guy to come and get you instead"

"Oh hush." she said angrily, ceasing her restless pacing and starting to nervously tap her foot on the floor instead.

Tig glared at Charlotte's bouncing foot then turned quickly to one of the prospects. "Prospect...what's your name again?"

"Eric" he replied

"Prospect Eric." Tig put his hand on Eric's shoulder. "I need you to go to the garage, get me a nail gun, then bring it back here so I can NAIL MY FIANCE'S FOOT TO THE FUCKING FLOOR."

Eric had already started moving to go but stopped when he heard the end of Tig's sentence then turned warily to look at Charlotte, frozen. "Uhhh."

"That's right, don't even think about it, Puppy." Charlotte said, pointing threateningly at Eric then leaned over the bar and swung at Tig who stepped out of her reach and started glaring at her when his phone rang.

Kozik and Piney got up quickly when they heard the tinny ringing of the phone and they all waiting with bated breath when Tig answered. While Tig talked to Salazar about releasing Tara Sam and Gacy walked up behind Charlotte and put their hands on their shoulders while they, too, waited to hear what was happening.

Hanging up the phone, Tig threw it onto the bar and hung his head. "Well, he didn't give us much more time." he slammed his fist on the table. "Shit!"

"Sorry to give you more bad news but Platte says we can't spare much. We can maybe free up 15k if we do an aggressive wave of shake-downs."

"Thanks man" Kozik said sincerely, "That really means a lot."

Charlotte hugged Sam gratefully and pressed her face against his chest while he held her back. "I'm sorry we can't do more for your friend." He told her, stroking her hair.

"Okay" Tig sighed after nodding respectfully at Sam, "235k more to go."

"I can sell the Nova." Charlotte said, turning to Tig.

He felt his heart break when he thought of her having to sell her family car but he saw the stony resolve on her face and knew that there was no use trying to convince her not to."Okay," he said, looking into her eyes, his voice raspy. "Fine."

"Thank you" she said, smiling at her Old Man then ran out of the clubhouse to try and sell the Nova as soon as possible. Before she got to her car, though, Unser pulled into the lot in his Sheriff's car, leading a black sedan onto the lot behind him. "Alex!" she called over her shoulder, when she saw Agent Stahl in the driver's seat of the black sedan then turned and ran back into the clubhouse. "Alex, Unser's here...he has Stahl with him."

Everyone in the clubhouse quickly followed her back out into the lot to confront the authorities at their doorstep.

"Where's your little doctor friend." Stahl asked Charlotte.

"What do you want, bitch?" she said impatiently, holding her hand to her eyes to block out the sun as she glared at Stahl. Tig rested his rough hand on the smooth, exposed skin of her lower back and narrowed his eyes at Stahl next to her.

"Well aren't you two sweet." she said looking at the united front they were showing. "Listen, I know Tara is missing. We want to help."

"YOU want to help?" Tig repeated then laughed. "Now. Now you want to fucking help?" He took a step toward Stahl and Charlotte put her hand to his chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"Where were you when that psycho mick took Abel?" Charlotte said grimly, staring at Unser who was looking at his feet.

"I assume they're being held for ransom." Stahl continued, ignoring Charlotte's comment. "How much?"

The SAMCRO members shared wary looks with one another until Kozik spoke up and said, "250k"

"No problem." Stahl said, shrugging with her hands in her pocket "I can get you that."

"No way." Tig said, aggressively. "We don't need any of your kind of help."

"What do you want?" Piney asked

"Nothing." Stahl said innocently. Charlotte snorted with a dark amusement. "Really. I can help you." Everyone was silent. "Or you can not take my help and let Jax know that while he was saving his son you killed his Old Lady."

Charlotte felt Tig tense next to her and saw the muscles in his jaw flex. "Nah" he said with much less conviction as the prospect of losing Tara started to eat away at his resolve.

"Tig." Kozik said, touching his arm gently. "There's no way we're going to get that money in time...what if this is the only way."

Thoughts swirled in his head and his eyes darted back and forth before falling on Charlotte who was looking up at him. Conflicted, he silently asked her what he should do with an imploring look.

She was silent for a second before reluctantly saying, "Yeah." and turning away from Stahl and walking to stand with Tiana then rested her head on her friend's shoulder while Tig and Kozik discussed the drop with the agents.

"Yeah, I'll be right in." Tig called to Kozik and Piney when Stahl had left. He walked over to Charlotte and took her hands in his then kissed her head and pulled her into him. "I'm just glad it's not you." She rubbed her face in his chest and took a deep breath. At the smell of her hair as it brushed against his neck he squeezed her tighter and closed his eyes, burying his face in her hair.

"Feels like things are getting worse." she mumbled into his chest

"Yeah" he agreed, then pulled her head away from his chest and turned her lips up to his to kiss them softly. "I want you to go to the club with your boys." he said. "Let me know when you're on your way home. Don't go anywhere alone. Please?"

"Okay Alex, okay." she half smiled and kissed him again before walking to her car with Tiana trailing behind her.

* * *

The club had been almost completely transformed in the last four days since the Sons had left. Hell's Lovers had completely dry-walled the entire upper and lower floors, installed the stairs in the walls behind each restroom that wound down elegantly into the strip club below. They had also been able to build out the kitchen on the top floor and the dressing rooms on the bottom. When she walked in she saw the main stage for the burlesque club was in the process of being erected by Romiel and some undocumented workers he hired while Pharm and Ricky were leading the build of the bar. Once inside Charlotte took off her shoulder holster and hid it underneath the jacket she also removed in order to get to work. They played reggaeton at full volume from the small stereo Ricky had bought to make the work more enjoyable and passed around cervezas with the workers; thoroughly enjoying the labor they were put to.

It wasn't until Charlotte and Tiana decided to take a break and checked her phone when she saw that she had missed a call from Tig.

"Everything okay?" she said when she heard the phone connect

"The Feds fucking butchered the drop." he informed her

"Aw fuck" she said putting her hand to her head and starting to pace.

"And now I'm at the fucking station looking at the red-headed doctor."

"What?!" Charlotte exclaimed; so loudly that Tig held the phone away from his ear. "Well, where's Tara?"

"She sliced Salazar's Old Lady and made a deal to stay and try and help save her life if he left boss doc go."

"Shit." she hung her head, ignoring Tiana who was gesturing wilding and mouthing 'What happened?' "Of course she did." She sighed and stood up straight, "Well, at least Tara has leverage for now." They were both silent for a few seconds "I think it's time, Alex."

"Yeah" Tig croaked, "Yeah, I'll call them now." Then, without saying goodbye, he hung up and called the club's international cell number.

"He's calling the club" Charlotte said to an anxiously waiting Tiana, "The drop went bad but Tara got leverage enough against Salazar to have her boss released." She paused, "I hope to god they found that baby...this is just too much to take otherwise." She shook her head sadly and draped her arm around her friend's shoulder. "C'mon. I want to feed Tig, Koz, Piney and the prospects tonight; let's get one of these guys to take us shopping then back to the clubhouse."

* * *

When the men returned to the clubhouse Charlotte and Tiana were already in the kitchen making an alfredo pasta with spicy cajun shrimp and they both ran into the bar when they heard the men enter.

"They have Abel." Kozik said when he saw they question lurking behind their eyes.

"That's great!" Tiana said, squeezing Charlotte's hand

"Thank goodness for small miracles." Charlotte said at the same time, putting her hand to her chest. "Are they coming?"

"Yeah" Tig said, pouring himself a shot, "They were already on their way to Manchester when I called so they should be here late tomorrow morning."

"Should I call Platte?" Pharm asked from his place at the bar.

"I-what?" Charlotte said, turning to him. "Why?"

"Well, you said when the kid got back you guys were getting married."

"Oh, um" Tig and Charlotte looked at each other then back at Pharm, "No." Charlotte concluded "Not until we get Tara back." She nodded firmly and Tiana pat her on the back, nodding her head.

Tig looked down at his feet, thinking, then waited until Charlotte and Tiana had gone back into the kitchen to finish dinner before he turned to Pharm and said, "Call him anyway, tell him we'll see him tomorrow at five."

"You got it, man." Pharm said, hopping off the stool and going to call Platte.

Tig noticed the look Piney was giving him. "What?" he said defensively, "They found Abel an ocean away...we'll find Tara. Then with these gun charges from that Zobelle thing who knows how much time we got left in the free world." he looked into the kitchen where Charlotte was stirring the large pot of pasta and laughing with her friend.

"I never thought I'd see you like this." Piney said, impressed, "I gotta say, I'm pretty glad I lived to, though."

"Yeah, me too" Kozik said, jerking Tig's gaze away from Charlotte.

"Shut up, shithead." he said angrily and chugged his beer.

"Don't start with that shit, now" Charlotte called from inside the kitchen. "There is no way you are gonna ruin the dinner I'm in here makin' for y'all."

"Yes, ma'am." Tig and Kozik said in unison, Tig smiling mischievously.

After getting a call from Tiana to come for supper, the HeLMCAL men returned just in time to each get a bowfull of the shrimp and pasta thrust into their hands then sat down at the various tables around the bar to eat together, filling the clubhouse with their booming voices and deep laughter.

"How is the club coming?" Tig asked

"Well, you'd know if you ever came by." Charlotte said half playfully, half serious

"Nah, I want it to be like a surprise." he said, shovelling more pasta into his mouth, "Like, I saw the pictures of what it did look like and then I'm gunna see it all done and it's going to be like, 'Woah!'"

Charlotte just laughed and shook her head in response then continued eating.

"I'm sure it's coming along great." Kozik said

"Don't kiss my ass, Koz." Charlotte said, chuckling "I already like you."

"Ha. No you don't." Tig said, pointing his fork at her. "Not if I have anything to do about it."

"Yeah, okay." Charlotte scoffed. "Let's see you do anything about it." Sam, Romiel and Ricky dissolved into laughter at the next table.

"That's our girl." Gacy said through a full mouth. Charlotte smiled over her shoulder at him and winked.

* * *

"Maybe we should stay here tonight." Charlotte said before she, Tig and Tiana left for the night.

"Nah" Tig said, wrapping his arm around her. "Let's go. They won't be home until well after we wake up anyway. I want to sleep in my bed with you." he kissed her head and they all proceeded to the lot to go home.


	35. June Wedding in April

When the van pulled into the lot the next morning Charlotte, Tiana, Lyla, HeLMCaL, and Piney were standing there waiting for it. As the men unloaded, Charlotte jogged over to Bobby and Chibs and pulled them each into a one armed hug.

"Oh, I missed you boys" she said after letting them go and rubbing their backs before moving on to kiss Juice on the cheek. When Gemma emerged from the van, next to Jax who was holding Abel, Charlotte ran to her and embraced her tightly. "Gem" she whispered into her ear, hugging her even tighter.

"Oh, my sweet girl." Gemma said softly, running her hand up and down the back of Charlotte's head. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too." Charlotte said of Gemma, pulling back and smiling at her before turning to Jax and looking hesitantly at Abel in his arms. Shen smiled down at the baby and ran her thumb over his soft, round head.

"Let her hold him" Gemma told Jax, smiling sweetly at Charlotte.

"'Course" Jax said, smiling and carefully handing Abel to Charlotte, who took him much more readily than the first time.

"Hi there." she said to the sleeping baby in her arms, her eyes unintentionally welling with tears of joy at knowing he was finally home safe. "Such a little bean as you caused a mighty large commotion. Yes you did." She giggled softly and looking up from the baby, caught a glimpse of Tig looking over at her holding the baby with a small smile on his face. At this she picked up the baby's little hand and waved it at Tig before handing Abel over to Gemma and walking into the clubhouse, her arm now around Tig's waist.

The group talked for a while; filled the home based men in about Ireland and what had ended up happening with Jimmy before conversation turned, finally, to Tara. After getting the little information they had to go on Clay stood up and turned to Bobby.

"Call our Mayan friends, ask them for help finding this aunt." he said, "I'm gunna go talk to Unser. You going home, baby?" he asked Gemma

"Yeah" she said, rubbing Lyla on the back who had stood up next to Gemma. "Lyla and Ope are taking me."

"Okay" he said then leaned in to kiss her. "Bye"

"Bye." she said back when their lips had parted the scooped up Abel in his basket then led Lyla and Opie out after Clay.

"I'm gunna stay in town today" Charlotte told Tig, standing close to him

"Good idea." he said bending down and kissing her on the head.

"In fact" Tiana said, looking at her watch "We actually have to go pick up something in town soon." She raised her eyebrows suggestively at Charlotte and tilted her head toward the door.

"Wha-?" Charlotte began, confused, until she realized what Tiana was talking about. "Oh, yeah." Charlotte picked up her short, brown leather jacket and slid her arms through it to leave. "Gotta go, darlin'" she kissed Tig on the cheek and flipped her hair out of the collar of her jacket. "Call me if-"

"Yep, you got it." he answered he incomplete question.

* * *

Charlotte slid behind the wheel of her car and drove herself and Tiana to the center of town where they decided to get a coffee and a breakfast burrito before going to the seamstresses shop to pick up her altered dress. Once in the shop Charlotte's skin tingled with unbridled anticipation while she waited for the Russian woman to bring out her dress.

"Hey Tia" Charlotte called to her from the private dressing room she was trying the dress on in

"Yeah?" Tiana said, sticking her head through the curtain

"Can you help me get the zipper up the rest of the way? My arm doesn't really bend that way." When the zipper was in the locked position after giving Tiana the smallest amount of resistance

"It looks so great" Tiana said, smiling in the mirror from behind Charlotte

"I love it." Charlotte said smoothing it down to get a good look at the lace on her body, turning to her side to see the white lace designs contrasted against the slightly darker skin of her arm. After admiring herself in the mirror a while longer she started moving and stretching to make sure it really was comfortable. "It feels a little tight around my bust." she said tilting her head with a vague interest.

"Well, it's still a loose-fitting dress." Tiana said, looking at the fabric over Charlotte's breasts. "It's not like it's getting those lines in it from stretching, it's still laying well on you. Does it bother you much?"

"Nah" Charlotte said, shaking her head and smiling again before leaving the dressing room to show the seamstress that everything was perfect.

"Here." the women said, motioning for Charlotte to bend down to her so she could put a satin and lace band around her hair like a headband. "I make this from your mother's dress." Charlotte gasped when she saw the intricate lace laying on her blonde hair and smiled at the woman standing behind her.

"Thank you." she said sincerely

"I also used lace to make heart on inside of dress." the woman told her, not wishing to be lauded. "And this." she pulled out a very small silk and lace covered pillow. "Your friend told me the ring bearer would be very important to wedding. So, now you have pillow from your mother's dress."

"Thank you so much." Charlotte said quietly, taking the pillow the woman was handing to her and touching the soft fabrics under her fingertips.

"No problem." the woman said firmly, holding up her hand and turning the corner of her lips down.

When they left the store Charlotte squeezed Tiana's cheek against hers and then kissed it. "You did this. Thank you so much."

"I told you she'd be with you. I promised."

Charlotte smiled at her before answering her ringing phone. "Hello?"

"Charlie, get down to Hale's office." Tig said frantically on the other end, "Salazar's taken Hale and Tara hostage."

"Let's go" Charlotte said to Tiana, throwing the garment bag holding her wedding dress into the backseat of the Nova and squealing off toward Hale's office.

* * *

"Is she okay?!" Charlotte asked frantically as she ran to the barricade that Tig and the others were standing behind.

"As far as we know." Bobby replied as Tig returned Charlotte's embrace.

"Jax just went in there. Salazar will trade Tara for him" Juice explained.

"Oh my god." Tiana said at Charlotte's elbow, leaning over the barricade to try and get a better look.

Their ears perked up when they heard the sheriffs' walkie talkie broadcast that Salazar is on the move. The men's pent up energy - not being able to do anything to help from this side of the barricade - was palpable and all the frustration was coming off of Tig's skin in hot waves that radiated through Charlotte's fingers.

"Salazar's dead." the crackling voice coming through the radio reported. "I repeat, Salazar's dead. Teller killed him in self-defense."

At this news Tig pulled Charlotte close to him and shook hands triumphantly with Clay. When they heard the sound of gunshots, though, Charlotte jumped in Tig's arms and looked around. They listened to Stahl's "officer down" cry through the walkie talkie and simply shook their heads with amazement.

"Tara!" Charlotte screamed when she saw Tara being led out of Hale's offices by two officers and ran to her. The two girls remained in a relieved embrace until Charlotte passed her to Clay.

Tig had held back to talk to Tiana as Charlotte watched them from her spot next to Tara until they parted and Tig came to give Tara a hug. "Hey, Doc. You good?" he asked.

"Yeah" Tara said, nodding before she caught sight of Jax out of the corner of her eye and ran to him, climbing into the ambulance behind him.

"Hey Lottie." Tiana said, clearing her throat after a subtle look from Tig. "Let's go home...give these guys some time to regroup." Charlotte nodded silently and followed Tiana to the Nova to go home.

* * *

"What the fuck is all this shit?" Clay asked when he dismounted his bike back at Teller-Morrow, watching the prospects stringing white lights across the lot from the tops of the fences and looking around at the multiple, unknown bikes parked in the lot.

"I'm marrying Charlotte today" Tig said firmly. "Abel's back, Tara's back...there's a lot to celebrate." he looked at his feet then squinted back up at Clay "I can't go to Stockton without knowing she's waiting for me when I get out."

Clay shrugged and turned to address the men around him, "Well boys, looks like we're having a wedding here tonight!" Everyone in the lot hooted and whistled loudly, drawing a crowd of men wearing Hell's Lovers patches from the clubhouse.

"Hey Platte" Tig said when the two men met, shaking his hand respectfully "It's nice to see you again."

"You as well." Platte said "I'm glad the manner in which I was summoned here doesn't make me want to punch you in the nose again."

Tig laughed, "Yeah, me too."

"Well, c'mon now, old man." Platte said, patting Tig on the shoulder, "We got some work to do before Belle finds out she's getting married today."

* * *

At home, Charlotte was sitting on the couch with her feet up reading a magazine when there was a knock at the door.

"Gemma!" Charlotte said happily, welcoming her into the house "Where's the baby?"

"Oh, he's with Lyla." Gemma said, waving her hand in the air. "I was just told to come and get you."

"For what?" Charlotte asked, laughing uneasily

"Well, darlin', for your wedding if you can believe it." Gemma said with a small smile

Charlotte chuckled, "No, I can't get married today, you and Abel only just got home. Hell, we just freed Tara from a hostage situation!"

"I think that sounds exactly like the day to get married." Tiana spoke up from behind Charlotte with a smirk on her face.

"I would have to say I agree." Gemma winked at Charlotte then flipped her hair out of her face and changed her approach when she realized Charlotte was unconvinced. "Now, listen here, little girl. I was told I would be going to a wedding today. Are you really about to disappoint me?"

"No ma'am." Charlotte said with a swallow

"Good, then come with me." On their way out the door behind Gemma Tiana snatched up the toiletries she had been packing in anticipation of Gemma's arrival to take with them to the clubhouse so she could get Charlotte ready.

"Tig requests that Miss Charlotte close her eyes before entering the compound" Eric said in terms of greeting when Gemma's car rolled onto the lot

"You heard the man." Gemma said, looking at Charlotte in the backseat through her rearview mirror, staring her down until she covered her eyes with her hands

"This is downright ridiculous." Charlotte complained when the car stopped and the two women helped her walk blindly into the clubhouse. When their hands were removed from her eyes she looked around and exclaimed, "Platte?" she was too shocked to believe she eyes when she saw him and a handful of other Hell's Lovers in the SAMCRO clubhouse. "What are you doing here?" she hugged him, her confusion clouding her senses as she looked around the room at the unfamiliarly familiar faces. "How did you-?"

"Pharm called us yesterday." Platte said

"But I told him not to."

"Yeah, but then your man told him to."

Tig had already been standing behind her when Platte said this, then made himself known by clearing his throat. When Charlotte turned to face him he felt his stomach churn with worry as he asked, "So, what do you say? Feel like getting married."

"Uh" she said, looking around the room some more. "Um, uh…" she focused her gaze on his blue eyes and finished, calmly, "Absolutely." She squealed with happiness as Tig swept her up into his arms.

"Well," Gemma sighed contentedly, "Now that that's settled EVERYBODY OUT!" She yelled, hanging the garment bag holding Charlotte's dress on the back of a bar stool and putting an old shoebox on the bartop.

At the sound of her stern voice everyone started to file out until it was only Charlotte, Tiana, Gemma, Lyla and Abel in the bar. While Tiana and Lyla were attempting to do Charlotte's hair she kept turning from one to the other, nervously asking them questions.

"Well...where's my dress?"

"It's right here, Char."

"And the stuff from my momma's dress?"

"That's here too, Lottie."

"How long are the boys staying?"

"They said they're taking the red eye back out tomorrow morning."

"What about Tara? I want her to be there."

Gemma was starting to get impatient now, "She's fine, she's just at the doctor's to make sure everything's okay with her and the baby after the abduction."

"The baby?!" both Charlotte and Lyla exclaimed in surprise. This piece of information sparked a whole new line of questioning until Gemma had given them all their answers.

"Well, who's even marryin' us?" Charlotte said, going back to the more pressing issue on her mind now. She turned her head to Tiana which resulted in her pulling the piece of hair Lyla was working on out of her hand. "You know if I don't get married by a pastor momma will rise from the grave just to kill me dead." This question stumped the women and their silence sparked Charlotte's anxiety. "Oh Lord in Heaven." she said, putting her head between her knees and taking deep breaths.

"No, no." Tiana said nervously, "I'm sure they have it figured out. Let me go get Platte, I'm sure he knows."

When Tiana suddenly emerged from the clubhouse with a worried look on her face Tig was immediately at her side.

"What's wrong? What happened? Is she okay?" he asked, rapid-fire.

"She's fine so long as you have a pastor." Tiana huffed

"Yeah, Bobby's an online rabbi. We got it covered."

"Oh, Jesus." Tiana said, rolling her eyes then yelling, "PLATTE!"

"Yeah, T?" Platte said, jogging over to her. "What's wrong?"

"You gotta go find us a methodist pastor." she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong with who they have?" Sam asked, walking up next to Platte but quickly kept walking when he saw the look Tiana gave him.

"Charlotte's freaking out. Says Cora's going to reanimate to murder her if she doesn't get married by one."

"Well, she's not wrong." Platte said, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling. "Any of your guys can help us get a pastor?" he asked Tig

"Uhhh, Unser is probably your best bet. I'll have Clay give him a call."

Tiana nodded and went back inside and lied, saying, "Don't worry, Platte made sure it was under control."

"Now will you please sit still and let me finish here?" Lyla said, exasperatedly. Charlotte nodded and tried to relax while Lyla continued teasing Charlotte's hair to give it a little volume and curling it into thick, loose curls that appeared natural and feather-light. When she was done Tiana unfolded the lace headband and carefully positioned it slightly to the front of the crown of her head then tied the silk ribbon into a tight, flowing bow underneath the base of her skull.

Lyla was in the middle of doing Charlotte's makeup when Ricky burst into the clubhouse and said, "Okay, okay, doane worry, we got the pastor. Is'sall okay"

Tiana's eyes widened as Charlotte sat up quickly, knocking the makeup brush from Lyla's hands and said, "What do you mean you have him? Are you telling me you didn't have him before?"

Ricky looked from each of the women's incensed faces to the other before backing out of the clubhouse while saying, " _No hablo ingles, lo siento chicas locas._ "

Lyla eased Charlotte's head back, pursing her lips and saying, "You're lucky I wasn't in the middle of your eyeliner."

"Oh, I'm sorry Lyla." Charlotte said sweetly

"I know what you need." Gemma said suddenly from the bar, walked around behind it and pulled out a bottle of good whiskey. She lined up some of the bigger shot glasses and poured out four of them. "Just relax a little, honey." she said, handing Charlotte a shot glass "You're starting to resemble that tight-assed bitch I met almost four months ago." This made Charlotte smile and she happily downed the shot.

* * *

When her makeup was done and she had emerged from one of the bedrooms after putting on her dress, Charlotte saw that Tara was in the bar as well, holding Abel in her arms. The women stopped talking and cooing at Abel when they saw Charlotte come back into the bar. With her hair and makeup done and the lace in her hair she was positively glowing in the short, white dress.

"Oh, sweetie." Gemma said, running her hand over the bump of a scar on her chest.

"You look really beautiful." Tara said, looking Charlotte up and down. Lyla simply nodded in agreement with her hands over her mouth and her eyes glistening with the prospect of tears.

Too stunned to speak, Tiana just walked up to Charlotte and hugged her gently. They walked together toward the other women and smiled at each other before Charlotte said, "Oh" and swept her hair off the back of her neck for someone to help zip her up the rest of the way.

With her hair pulled to the side, exposing her back she heard Gemma say, "Now, THAT is what I like to see." Charlotte smiled shyly and bit her lower lip. "Now, when did you get this?"

"After Tig proposed...the day you guys left and he was locked up after his joyride." Charlotte responded.

When Tiana zipped her dress up, the v-backline perfectly framed the tattoo of a crow across her back; it's spread wings and body lying just inside her shoulder blades. While it still had the same red heart in the middle of it's chest as Gemma, Lyla and Tara's tattoos did, Charlotte had added some more color; making the ribbon around the neck of the crow yellow to symbolize her ties to Hell's Lovers and adding a thin outline around the black pupil of the crow in a bright blue that mirrored Tig's own uniquely blue eyes.

Gemma smiled as she ran her thumb over the banner in the crow's right talon that read 'Forever' on it. After looking at the word for a few seconds and taking in the tattoo surrounded by the beautiful, delicate lace of Charlotte's wedding dress Gemma turned Charlotte around to face her, her throat constricted as she spoke, "I know Tig can be hard to take." she began "And I know it hasn't and probably won't ever be a picnic...but that crow on your back means something." She dabbed her eye with the knuckle of her pointer finger. "We're counting on you to take care of our boy because - and don't tell them this - but we are what makes them." her eyes rose to Lyla and Tara, talking to them too, "We make them smarter and stronger and, most of all, we make them find a way to come home in one piece every night." Charlotte nodded "Now, you think you can handle that, darlin'?"

"Yes ma'am."' Charlotte said, smiling.

"Okay." Gemma said, taking a deep intake of breath and turning to the box on the bar behind her, "Then these" she opened the box to reveal a pair of white, t-strap heels "will be your something borrowed." she took them out and handed them to Charlotte, "They're what I wore on my wedding day."

Charlotte took them in one hand and looked at them, speechless. Then pulled Gemma quickly into a one-armed hug, sobbing dryly into Gemma's neck.

"Ohhh stop that." Gemma said, pulling away from Charlotte, "Don't ruin your makeup before you even get out there." She sighed and touched Charlotte's tattoo again "And keep your hair to the side, let them see this. It's beautiful"

"You got it" Charlotte said, smiling and arranging her curls over her shoulder

* * *

Outside, Tig was standing with Chibs and Kozik observing the prospects who were standing in front of them with their hands outstretched in front of them. When he saw Eric's elbows start to shake Chibs pointed it out and collected money from the men on either side of him.

"Alright Phil." Tig said, patting him on the back, "As the winner of our test you have earned yourself the position of photographer." he shoved a camera into Phil's hands then pointed threateningly at him "they better be good."

"You got it, Tig" Phil said, grasping the camera. "I took photography in high school, so…"

"Ohh" Kozik said from Tig's side, turning to look at him, "he took photography in high school."

"Ohh" Tig continued joking, "we have a real Annie Leibowitz here." He got serious and moved closer to Phil, "No artsy crap, just get some damn pictures, okay?"

"Okay" Phil said, nodding and walking away.

"You a little nervous there, Tiggy?" Kozik asked, noticing the edge to Tig's usual wit

"Oh shut it." Tig replied and started walking angrily away from Kozik until the clubhouse door opened and he whipped around to see Gemma, Lyla and Tara - holding Abel and a small white pillow, emerge onto the lot and smiled knowingly at Tig as they passed him.

"Well," Gemma said, smiling at Tig as she approached him. "Get to wherever you're goin'."

Tig swallowed and nodded then walked up to Chibs. "Hey, Chibsy." he cleared his throat "Would you, um, would you stand up there with me?"

"Oh, Tig ma' boy" Chibs said, clapping Tig on the back as he hugged him. "O' course I will, brotha."

Tig simply smiled at Chibs then turned around and yelled, "Prospect!"

"Yes." both men answered, appearing at Tig's side.

"Where's the thing I asked you to put together?" he was nervously making sure that everything was in order.

"We set it up in front of the SOA insignia on the fence." Filthy Phil pointed to the the far fence adjacent to the clubhouse where Tig turned to see a simple, four-posted birch arch that was almost an exact replica of the one in Charlotte's parent's wedding photo that Tig had showed to the prospects two days ago when he sent them to task. It was draped with some sheer white fabric that wrapped around the posts and through the top.

"We put some lights on it too." Eric told Tig as they moved closer.

"Alright. Good." Tig said, his mouth getting continuously drier and turned his head up to the sun setting in the sky. "Turn them on."

Gemma had gotten everyone to settle down and line some of their bikes up to make an aisle from the clubhouse to the altar where the priest and Chibs were standing there waiting. With the SAMCRO family standing on one side and the HeLMCAL family on the other and their motorcycles lining their prospective sides of the aisle Tiana turned from her lookout spot at the clubhouse door to face Charlotte.

"Okay, Lottie." Tiana said, smoothing the navy blue silk dress that she had bought for the occasion over her abdomen and looking her friend square in the face. "You ready?"

"Yeah" Charlotte said, her voice sounding a little more apprehensive than she really felt. At an assuring nod from Charlotte Tiana bent down behind the bar and pulled a bouquet of flowers from the refrigerator. She pressed the simple bouquet of white Daisies and blue Anemones that was lightly peppered with buds of yellow Winter Jasmine. Being able to hold something in her hands put Charlotte's nerves a little more at ease. "Thank you, Tia" she said, kissing her friend on the cheek.

"Okay." Tiana said, taking a deep breath and squeezing Charlotte's arm. "I'll see you out there."

When she was gone and Charlotte opened the doors to follow her she looked up in amazement at the beautiful white lights that had been strung to give a delicate illumination to the lot where everyone had gathered. After taking in the soft, bright bulbs contrasting against the deepening blue of the sky as the sun set lower in the sky, she saw both Platte and Bobby waiting for her on either side of the door. They stood up straight and smiled when they saw her.

"We didn't know who you would want to walk you down the aisle." Bobby said, softly. "So we figured, why not one from each side?"

"Oh" Charlotte smiled graciously but said. "No, you boys go on ahead...I think I want to do this" she felt a pinch in her chest "on my own."

Platte blinked with surprise and took a beat before saying, "Alright then, Belle" he kissed her softly on the forehead.

"You look beautiful." Bobby added, kissing her on the cheek before walking back down the aisle with Platte.

"You jus lemme know when you ready, Cher" a slight, freckled young man Charlotte recognized as a Prospect for HeLMCAL who had been in her sister's grade so many years ago. He waved the harmonica in his hand and smiled at her as she blinked at him, feeling the presence of her sister with her when she looked at his familiar, young face.

She took a moment and looked into her bouquet, saying a silent prayer to her mother and sister before raising her eyes back up to the young man waiting for her signal, fixing her hair and giving him a quick nod. When he had raised the harmonic to his lips and blew the first note of "Here Comes the Bride" she took her first steps down the aisle, avoiding the eyes of the spectators that had turned to meet her. Since the path from the clubhouse door to where the altar had been set up wasn't straight, Tig and Charlotte didn't see one another until she walked around the curve of the bike-lined aisle.

When she did come into view, Tig's hand immediately clamped over his mouth in an attempt to tame the overly exultant smile that crossed his face. He turned his gaze down to his feet, unable to gaze upon her beauty for too long without the warmth bubbling up from his chest and overflowing through his tear ducts.

As she turned the corner, the first thing she saw was Tig's astounded face which made her flush slightly and smile at him; causing him to look at the ground. His eyes no longer on her she expanded her focus to the altar around him and almost stopped in her tracks when she saw the birch arch that was framing Tig and the pastor in front of the large SOA insignia that covered the blue and white fence. When Gemma saw Charlotte falter she dug her nails into Clay's arm and put her hand to her mouth, worried that Charlotte would turn around. Before she would've even had time to consider it Tig's eyes were back on her, drawing her too him and she moved closer to him. Her entranced attention was split between him and the altar, which was wrapped with small twinkle lights under a sheer fabric that made the small lights appear haloed like little white lightning bugs were dancing around the birch wood of the arch.

Unable to contain her gratitude when she was finally standing in front of Tig she grabbed him forcefully by the front of his kutte and kissed him passionately. Ignoring the presence of the pastor and any protocol that came with the marriage ceremony he pulled her close to him, running his hands over the lace of her dress and sticking his tongue into her mouth to the many catcalls of them men and women watching.

"I'm glad you like it." Tig said smartly when she backed away from him and looked apologetically at the pastor.

"I do." she whispered "Thank you."

He winked silently at her then turned his attention to the pastor who was waiting patiently with a bemused look on his face. "Now" the pastor said, smiling at the two of them, "since we've gotten out of the way…" Tig grabbed Charlotte's pinky with his own as the pastor got ready to begin the ceremony. "Do you who represent the family of Charlotte Elaine Harris rejoice in her union to Alexander Pierce Trager?"

Charlotte was confused as to why he was asking this question but the reason was soon made clear when every member of the Alabama charter of Hell's Lovers that had made the trip to California stood at attention and, in a bone-chilling unison, said "We do." Charlotte chuckled wetly as tears ran down her cheeks at the touch of love from the men in leather standing behind her and Tig felt the hair on his arms stand up as the weight of their protectiveness over Charlotte hit her with the full force of their unified booming voices.

Smiling at the fervent agreement of the bikers in front of him he then nodded to Tara who was standing in the front with Abel, prompting her to step forward holding out the pillow in Abel's hands that had two simple bands tied to it. "These rings symbols are the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, signifying to all the uniting of Alexander Trager and Charlotte Harris in holy marriage." he said as Tara untied the rings from the pillow and passed them into the pastor's hands. "We ask for the giving of these rings to be blessed, that they who wear them may live in peace and continue in the favor of their god all the days of their life." After Charlotte had handed her bouquet to Tiana he placed the thicker, gold band in Charlotte's hand and the more delicate, silver one in Tig's outstretched palm before guiding Charlotte through her vows.

"Alexander Pierce Trager," Charlotte began - with the pastor's prompting, slipping the gold ring onto his finger, her smiling face plump under the wet tear tracks on her face. "I give you this ring as a sign of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, to love you, comfort you, and keep you, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live."

Gemma cleared her throat suggestively from the makeshift pews causing Charlotte to look over at her and smile before continue a freestyled version of vows. "I also vow, as your steadfast Old Lady, my unwavering support and to remain with you through any and all the ups and downs that may enter our lives." She rose her shoulders through her ears and said, with a mischievously gleeful smile on her face, "So long as you keep it in your pants and don't go rat."

"Woo!" Gemma hooted as she clapped enthusiastically along with some of the other women; Clay bursting into hysterical laughter next to her..

"Well said, well said." Chibs said softly, nodding his head and doing a soft, golf-clap behind Tig who simply smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry, pastor" Charlotte said innocently, shrugging and smiling at Tig whose eyes had a special brightness as he looked back at her.

"Alright then" the pastor said, shaking his head and going back to the script. "Now, Alexander, 'Charlotte Elaine Harris, I give you this ring-"

Tig held his hand up, cutting off the pastor. "I got this, Father." he said, a small smile on his face as he continued to gaze at Charlotte. "Charlotte Elaine Harris, I give you this ring as a sign of my vow to love and protect you…" he paused and looked wryly over his shoulder at the men looking on before saying, "treat you as good as my leather and ride you - and only you - as much as my Harley as long as we both shall live." Charlotte squealed with laughter as the onlookers erupted into cheers at Tig's recitation of the standard SAMCRO vows.

The pastor shook his head and moved on to conclude the ceremony "Now that Charlotte Elaine Harris and Alexander Pierce Trager have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the giving and receiving of rings, I announce to you that they are husband and wife; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen...You can kiss again if you want."

With the pastor's permission this time, Charlotte jumped into Tig's arms and kissed him passionately, putting her hand to his cheek as she sucked on his lower lip to the wild shouts of the men looking on, even Platte and Sam. He carried her back down the aisle and into the clubhouse.

"Wait...wait" Charlotte gasped between kisses as he walked her through the bar, the guests following slowly behind them. "The guests...we have to-."

"No, no we don't." Tig said, walking her into the apartment and throwing her on the bed. He stood at the end of it, looking down at her blonde curls spread out behind her head and the soft, white fabric wrapped around her body. "You look so beautiful." he said softly, getting on the bed and crawling toward her.

"And it's officially all yours" she smiled, reaching up to kiss him.

With this thought fueling his desire he roughly pushed her dress up around her waist and pulled her panties down then brought his face down to her ankles and left a trail of kisses all the way up her legs until they were on her soft inner thighs. Charlotte reached down and made sure her dress was pulled all the way up before he plunged his tongue into her pussy.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, falling back on the bed and arching her back. She tried to pull her dress up higher to keep the fabric away from the wetness that was dripping onto the bed between her legs. When he could tell she was close to climax he removed his lips from her clit and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap and slipping himself inside her. Tig grabbed her bouncing ass cheeks as he slammed himself into her, pushing her over the edge while she was still feeling the effects of his strong tongue on her hot, wet clit. She dug her fingers viciously into his neck as she came around him, her mouth opened in a permanent gasp as she felt the heat rush to her face and tingling spread from her lower abdomen up through the erect nipples of her breasts. Aware of her orgasm from the tight, involuntary waves of squeezing around his dick he slowed his pace inside her so she could slowly build back up to her second one. Pulled this close to him while they grinded themselves against one another Charlotte touched her nose against his and closed her eyes; the sweat from their brows mingling this close together as she felt bruises erupt on her rear from the grip he had on her skin.

"I love you." he whispered, opening his blue eyes to look at the sand-colored, glittering eyelids closed over her blue ones and kissed the bridge of her nose.

"I love you too." she said, opening her eyes causing them to brush up against the blistering wet skin of his nose.

At the sight of the green eyes the always drove him wild he started moving more rapidly inside her, grunting along with her breathy moans, and unzipped her wedding dress to pull it off over her head and feel the heat of her soft skin against his. Being able to feel more of her soft, fresh skin; running his hands over every inch he could touch, made his breath quicken in his chest. Charlotte sucked and bit at his neck, marking him with bright red hickies. This roughness spurred him to thrust his hips into her more violently until she let out a mangled scream of pleasure and pain and he felt blood drip down his back from the nails spearing into it. In response to this pain he bit down on her shoulder causing her to pull away from him and yelp.

He chuckled and laid her down, pushing her dress off the bed and out of the way of their sweaty, writhing bodies then got on his knees and the tips of his toes to offer a modicum of leverage so the tip of his penis rubbed against her g-spot with every thrust in and out. Both being stimulated from the angle he was drilling into her they finally came together, gasping and holding onto each other until the waves of pleasure ceased to crash over them. After a few minutes talking, someone knocked on the door.

Thoroughly elated at having just had sex with the woman who was now his wife Tig answered the knock with a jovial, "C'mon in!" after Charlotte had pulled the covers up over her chest.

"Sorry Tig" Juice said, nodding respectfully at Charlotte, "Clay told me to give you some time but we need you at the table."

"It's my wedding night" Tig said, pulling a face.

"It's okay." Charlotte said, shrugging, "I want to get out to the party anyway before the boys get back on a plane home."

"Okay" Tig said, getting up to get dressed, "I'll see you out there."

When Charlotte had finished fixing her hair and makeup so it didn't look like she had just been doing what she was doing she rejoined the makeshift reception that was going on in the bar. She posed with Tiana for Filthy Phil who was holding a pretty professional camera up to them then pulled Gemma, Lyla and Tara in to take pictures with as well. Instead of throwing the bouquet to the gaggle of women milling around the party Charlotte decided to share the supposed good fortune and dissect her bouquet to weave the flowers into an array of croweaters' hair.

* * *

The men finally came from the chapel to rejoin the party but their sullenness wasn't very well hidden from their worried women. In order to attempt to lift his spirits from whatever was dragging them down Charlotte crossed over to Juice who was handling the music and asked him to play "Leather and Lace" by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. She directed the croweaters to shoo the men from the tables and clear a space on the clubhouse floor while the beginning of the song played.

"If the groom could join the bride on the dance floor that just appeared" Juice said through a microphone, "She would like to dance with him to their song."

Tig quickly put his drink down and moved to take Charlotte in his arms. They stood in the middle of the dance floor, their left hands clasped together and resting against their swaying bodies while Tig rubbed the small of Charlotte's back, where his hand was resting, with his thumb and Charlotte's fingers played with the curls that laid against the bock of his neck where her hand was draped. She felt Tig relax in her arms as the song and their gentle movement together progressed and some other couples got to their feet and joined the slow dance around them.

When the song ended Tig kissed Charlotte softly and smiled at her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kozik and his face fell again. "You ready to go home soon, Charlie?"

"Sure" Charlotte said, looking around at the dwindling crowd and nodding, "I can always sleep."

"Good deal, honey." he said, kissing her, "You say your goodbyes and I'll be outside."

"Okay" Charlotte said, bewildered as his sullen form left the clubhouse.

* * *

After saying a long goodbye to the members of HeLMCAL who had come for the wedding and asking Gemma what she could bring for breakfast tomorrow Charlotte walked out onto the lot and looked around for Tig. When she scanned the lot she spied Lyla and Opie on the roof across the lot and then her eyes found Tig who was sitting glumly on the new jungle gym that prospects had built the night before.

"Hey there" she said, softly, sitting on the swing next to him. When she saw the picture of a beautiful German Shepherd laying on Tig's sleeping chest her heart sank.

"I couldn't do it." Tig said, feeling her eyes on him. "I couldn't vote Kozik in...even with everything going down and prison time coming up soon." he sighed.

"You don't have to be a part of the vote for Koz to get in." Charlotte said, swinging lightly next to him. "I know you don't hate him but I also know you don't want to feel responsible for putting your trust in someone who you've lost it in." Tig nodded quietly and Charlotte stood up "C'mon honey." she took his hand. "Let's go home and be married for a few more hours before we have to worry about all this."

"Man, I'm glad you're my Old Lady." he said smiling at her as he stood up and walked over to his bike with her.


	36. NS

Early the next morning, Tig stood at the end of their bed and looked at Charlotte slept with their white sheets draped across half of her body. He began to slowly pull the sheet off of her, being careful not to wake her as he did so that when she felt the chocolate sauce he was squeezing onto her body she woke up with a scream and instinctively backed away from him.

"Ahh! Alex!" Charlotte screamed when he jumped onto the bed and pulled her back toward him by the ankle and continued to drip the sweet sauce onto her naked body. "ALEX!" she squealed through fits of hysterical laughter, trying to push him away but failing due to the slippery chocolate coating on her hands.

His face was twisted into a sick smile as he watched her writhe under the stream of chocolate that he promptly stopped and threw the bottle to the side before pulling her chocolate-covered neck into his mouth. "We didn't have a cake last night." he said between loud smacks of his mouth against her skin as he lapped up the chocolate. "So I was craving something sweet."

"Oh my-bah!" she fell into more fits of laughter when he opened his mouth and flattened his tongue to her stomach then moved all the way up, over her nipple then back to her neck. "Ohhh." she moaned, "You're a sick, wicked man."

He growled happily and turned her around roughly, slamming her face against the headboard - causing her to squeak in pain as the wood made contact with her face - before sliding into her from behind. Charlotte pushed her ass against his thrusting hips so that she could put some space between the wood of the headboard and her cheek so as to not get a concussion. With her arms planted firmly against the headboard she was able to regain a little more control and use her bent arms to grind against his pelvis while Tig slid his hard, throbbing cock in and out of her. While he moved inside her he wiped his hand up the side of her legs until they were covered with the chocolate off her skin then shoved his fingers into her mouth for her to suck the chocolate off of. As his thrusts became more violent he unintentionally began shoving his chocolate-covered further into her mouth until she gagged on them. The convulsion that spread through her body from this bodily response caused the muscles in her pussy to tighten so hard around his member that he saw stars for a second and ripped his fingers from her mouth so she would relax.

"Oh fuck" he gasped when he felt the limited blood flow he had return to the erect muscle he had pulled out of her while she coughed to get the saliva out of her lungs.

"Come back" she said raspily, when the coughing had subsided, laying down under him.

"Yes ma'am" he said, climbing back on top of her sticky body and putting himself back inside her. He licked her neck and chest while he moved fluidly inside her, the muscles in his back flexing as he held his torso above her. The muscles in his arms started to quake as he felt the overwhelming pleasure start to build up at the base of his cock and he started to sweat. On the precipice of orgasm he moved more slowly but purposefully inside of her until he felt her soft, dull pressure around him and happily released his load - knowing that she, too, had been satisfied.

They laid together in silence for a while until Charlotte tried to run her fingers through her hair and got them caught on a clump of dried chocolate causing her to let out a laugh. He smiled happily at the musical sound of her laughter and closed his eyes, trying to replay it over and over in his mind; hoping to burn it into his memory.

"How about you draw a bath for us while I strip the bed and…" he ran his hands over the sheet "throw out these sheets." he chuckled and started to roll her off the bed.

"A bath?" she said, surprised.

"Yeah" he said softly, not making eye contact with her while he balled the chocolatey sheets into his hands. "I'm going to be confined to showers for a while so I'll be glad for the variety."

She looked at the top of his head for a while until he turned and walked out of the room before going into their bathroom and running the water for a bath, adding some soothing bath salts and aromatherapy bubbles that she used for herself whenever she took a bath. While she waited for Tig to come back upstairs she used a wet washcloth to sponge the stickiness off of her body. When Tig came in she turned around and did the same for him, looking deeply into his bright blue eyes while she did until he was clean-ish enough to get into the steaming tub. When they sunk into the water together Tig pulled her toward him and traced the crow on her back with his finger before easing her into his chest and kissing her temple. He looked at their fingers under the surface of the water and watched as she wove her thin, delicate fingers through his scarred, calloused ones.

"Hey," he croaked, clearing his throat, "I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay, shoot." she said, turning as much as she could to look at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

He swallowed, "Well, I just wanted to talk to you a little about what could be coming up." he hesitated, "Well, it-it may be a little confusing and scary...what's about to come."

"Alex" she said, rolling her eyes. "My daddy went to jail for almost two years when I was thirteen and I've seen plenty other men get taken away. I don't need to hear my momma's 'it's just like a vacation' speech at the age of twenty-seven."

He chuckled nervously and rubbed his hands up and down her flat stomach. "No, I know" he said and sighed. "It's just...for whatever comes, know that things aren't what they seem. Okay?"

"O-okay" she said, confused but rested her head back into his neck and closed her eyes.

"You're a good Ol' Lady, you know that?" he said, smiling at her tacit understanding of the secrecy.

"Well I oughta be." she said, chuckling softly and pulling his arms more tightly around her. They laid together in the tub simply exploring each others' bodies with their fingers as they breathed in the comforting steam coming off the surface until Tig felt Charlotte start to shiver a little in his arms as the bath water had lost all its warmth along with the bubbles.

"Alright" he groaned, moving in the water and flipping the drain open to let it drain. "C'mon" he helped her stand up in the tub and then got out leaving her to wash her hair while he went to get dressed.

* * *

"Where did Tiana stay last night?" he asked when she came to join him in the kitchen, fully clothed with her hair wrapped in a towel.

"Not sure" she said through a yawn, "Probably at the clubhouse."

"Well, that was considerate of her." he handed Charlotte a mug of coffee.

"Speaking of." she shook her watch down on her wrist to look at it. "What time did Gemma say to be there for breakfast?"

He shook his head as he swallowed his sip of coffee, "Not sure."

"Let's just go now, then." she put her mug down and crossed to the fridge to pull out the large bowl of fruit salad she had made when they got home last night.

Tig downed the rest of his coffee as quickly as he could without burning his tongue while she shook her hair free from the terrycloth wrap, pulled on her brown leather jacket and threw her purse over her shoulder then shrugged his kutte on and picked up the fruit salad and led the two of them out the door.

* * *

When Charlotte's Nova pulled into the lot behind Tig's Dyna two croweater's flocked to her to unburden her of the fruit salad and bring it inside for her so she could walk to Tig's side and through the doors together. They were greeted with jubilant cries of welcome and Juice and Bobby threw some uncooked rice at them when they reached the bar.

"How was the honeymoon?" Clay asked, clapping Tig on the back.

"Delicious" Tig replied with a wink at Charlotte who had walked over to Gemma to kiss her in greeting.

While Tig talked and laughed with his brothers Charlotte made a plate for each of them, grabbing cinnamon rolls, muffins and some spoonfuls of fruit for them to eat. After handing him his plate with a kiss to the cheek she sat down next to Tiana who was holding her head in her hands.

"Good lord" Charlotte said with a snort, "How big was the truck that hit you?"

"Massive." Tiana groaned "After you left the guys and SAMCRO and I stayed up and Gacy challenged me to drink."

"Oh Tia, you didn't...he's a lot bigger than he was ten years ago."

"Yeah" Tiana said, her throat dry, "I forgot to take that into account." She sat up and looked around. "In my drunkenness, however, I think I may have gotten to know one of these ladies a little better."

"No!" Charlotte gasped and giggled as Tiana's head hit the table again. "So, did the boys leave?"

"Yeah." Tiana said, "Sam and Gacy went with so it's just us, Romes, Pharm, Ricky and my brother. We're probably just going to spend the day working at the club. We know you have a lot going on today."

"Thanks" Charlotte said, smiling sadly.

When Jax and Tara came in with Abel both Tiana and Charlotte stood up to greet them, each taking turns hugging Tara hello while Abel was passed around until he ended up in Bobby's arms who held him out for Clay to bestow a small hat bearing the SAMCRO insignia.

"Aww" Charlotte said, standing next to Bobby and looking down at the baby in his arms. "Next he'll have a mini-little Harley to ride around." she laughed and ran her finger over Abel's closed fist before turning around to kiss Tig who had come up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. They continued to exchange soft kisses in the corner of the bar until Opie called for their attention and Lyla announced that they were getting married by showing her ring to the group around them.

"Oh!" Charlotte squealed, flocking quickly toward her with Tara and Gemma to look at the ring Opie had given her. The four women were all smiles when they embraced Lyla and congratulated her.

"Here babe" Tig said, handing Charlotte a shot glass to toast Opie and Lyla with. When she had downed the burning liquid he pulled her to him to kiss her again before the men went into the chapel, leaving the women to clean up.

"Hey Charlie." Tig called, running over to her in the lot as she went to throw some bags in the dumpster outside. He slowed in front of her when she turned back around to face him. "I need you to go home, get our guns together."

"You got it." she said, rubbing her hands clean after depositing the bags in the trash.

* * *

Later in the morning Charlotte had returned with the trunk of the Nova full of whatever firepower they had at the house sans her Beretta and whatever sidearm Tig had on that day.

"Koz!" she called to where he was in the garage. "Gimme a hand with these."

He trotted over to her open trunk and shouldered the two rifles and one shotgun she had while she picked up the two cases that held the semi-autos. When he reached down to pick up another, large case that held a couple of pistols he said, "You take care of your shit."

Charlotte laughed as they walked toward the clubhouse. "Papa didn't raise no fool." she said. When they were inside she turned to Kozik and said, "Listen, Koz, this thing with-"

"There she is!" Tig said, coming out of the back room with Opie and interrupting her. He and Opie gathered up the guns and she opened the pistol case and pulled out the Browning Hi-Power and held it in front of Tig's face. "Aw, c'mon Charlie, I know, alright?"

She ignored him and continued with her line of questioning anyway. "If this gun is not in its case, where is it?"

He hung his head and answered begrudgingly, "In my holster."

"And who gets to shoot this gun?"

"No one but me."

"Thank you, darlin'" she said, smiling cheekily at him.

He rolled his eyes and put the gun back in the case then playfully bit her on the cheek before going to the back with them. When Charlotte walked out onto the lot she turned from the clubhouse just in time to see Gemma getting into Unser's car.

"Gemma?" she called after her and jogged toward the car before she heard Gemma demand that Unser go and they were pulling out of the lot. "Gemma?!" she called again, standing stupidly in the middle of the lot as she watched the car turn and drive away from the garage. "Shit!" she turned on her heel and ran into the office to call Tara.

"Hey, Charlotte, can I show you something?" Chucky asked her when she slammed into the small room

"Now's not really a good time, Chucky-honey." she said impatiently, putting the office phone to her ear.

* * *

After making the call, Charlotte waited for Tara to come back to the compound from the station where she had gone to speak to Gemma by cataloging guns with Opie and Tig in the back.

"That was Bobby." Tig said, hanging up his mobile. "Bad news from Stockton."

"Can't get a meeting with Lenny?" Opie inferred

"Nah, Otto's good for it. It may have even happened already." Tig rubbed his hands against his cheeks in disbelief. "But Otto's getting moved to Death Row for the thing in the library."

"Oh god." Charlotte said, shaking her head and clicking the safety of the rifle she was holding in the on position.

"Man, it's hard to keep your cool in there." Opie said, shaking his head. "I admired Otto for keeping his as long as he did but, after Luann…" he simply shook his head.

Tig looked at Charlotte as she checked the guns. "Yeah...I can imagine."

"Hey guys" Juice stuck his head into the back room "Lowen's here with word from Lenny's lawyers."

"Looks like they did have that meeting." Charlotte said, smiling as Tig and Opie rushed for the Chapel. She remained in the room loading the magazines of some of the rifles until Tig surprised her by returning just to kiss her on the mouth before going to the meeting for real.

When he left for the second time Charlotte came out for the back and walked past the chapel to see Lowen talking to the men within but kept walking until she was out on the lot just in time to see Tara pull up.

"How is she?" Charlotte asked as Tara approached her.

"I don't know." Tara said, shaking her head. "Out of her mind."

"I would think you would have to be to turn yourself in."

"No" Tara said, softly. "It's something else." She looked Charlotte square in the eyes, "The charges were dropped Charlotte, she's being released." she snuffed out the excitement that crossed Charlotte's face by continuing to speak. "But she's still terrified and I have no idea why."

Before Charlotte could say anything Lowen came out of the clubhouse and stood with them. "Hey Tara." the lawyer greeted the doctor warmly

"Ally, this is Charlotte" Tara said as introduction. "Tig's wife."

Lowen laughed when she shook Charlotte's hand but sobered when she realized it wasn't a joke. "Oh, I'm sorry" she said "I didn't-"

"No, no" Charlotte said, smiling "It's hard for me to wrap my head around too. So how are things looking for our boys?" she flipped her hair out of her face to look at the lawyer.

Lowen sighed, "It's up in the air right now...they can do some hard time for these weapons charges."

"What's the population like in Stockton?"

"Pretty diverse thanks to the dispersion between the ethnic gangs and the white crackheads. SAMCRO being pretty neutral in the race war, though, puts their scent in those neonazi's heads. You know how it is…"

"If you're not against them, you're against us." Charlotte nodded, knowing all too well how pecker-woods dealt with people who weren't actively in favor of their cause. She stood up straight when she saw Opie come out of the clubhouse and tell Lowen that the equation was true, whatever that meant.

Charlotte walked back inside to let Jax and Tara talk and have a drink of water, but almost spilled it down her front when Jax burst through the door holding a cardboard box with Chucky in tow and rushed into the chapel.

"What is going on?" she asked Tara who followed the men in with her mouth wide open

"Chucky has a box full of counterfeit money" Tara said, her eyes wide in amazement. "He has a few boxes I think."

"You're kidding me." Charlotte said, staring at the closed chapel door.

"Charlie!" Tig screamed, coming out of church with Chucky in his arms. "Charlie, baby. I'm sorry but I'm with Chucky now...he can support me the way a girl like me demands to be."

Charlotte laughed and looked at the reams of paper Juice had in his hands and moved closer to him. "My word." she said, running her fingers across the uncut bills. "This is unreal"

"Oh, baby." Tig said, wrapping his arms around Charlotte from behind and looking lustily at the money. "What can I buy you, huh? Some lava lamps and black light posters?"

"Ooh, baby" she cooed, turning to face him, "You know just what a thirteen year old boy from 1982 wants."

He laughed and kissed her neck, "I've been told."

* * *

Waiting with the men for the bills to be printed, Charlotte worked with Eric and Phil to stock the van with the spare guns they were bringing along to the meeting. When she walked back into the clubhouse Clay and Jax waved her over.

"Yeah?" she said when she reached them.

"Listen, Char" Clay said, looking over at Tig to make sure he was preoccupied. "When we pick up Jimmy O we're going to swap him out of the van and into the Cutlass with Tara."

"We can't spare the prospects." Jax said sadly, "We need the bodies…"

"I'll go with her." Charlotte said instantly. "You want me to wait with her, right - before the swap happens to make sure nothing happens?"

"Yeah" Jax said, nodding and smiling - satisfied by her understanding and eagerness.

"She can stay behind, you know." Charlotte offered, readin the concern on Jax's face "I'll pick up Jimmy O in the Cutlass."

"Noooo you won't" Tig said, making her jump when he spoke.

"She wants to do it, Tig." Clay said, rubbing his head where he could feel a headache starting.

"The only problem is, so does Tara." Jax said, smiling with an amused admiration for the two women. He turned to Charlotte, "She wants to do something...this she can do."

Charlotte sighed, "Jax, I know I don't have to tell you but, she's already doing extra for that alien she has growing inside her." she pat her own stomach suggestively, "No alien, no problem. Let me do it instead."

Jax laughed, "You be the one to talk her out if it then. But when you don't - because you can't - I'd still really like it if you stayed with her for protection."

"Of course. I'm gunna go get my sidearm then."

Tig jogged after her into the lot and pulled her to a stop. "There's a reason I didn't volunteer you for this." he said, putting his hands on his hips.

"And, clearly, it's the most selfish reason on this twirling rock in the sky." she said, mirroring his stance.

"Charlotte" he said, looking at the ground, "we just got married yesterday and I-"

"And Jax and Tara aren't even married AND she's pregnant, Alex." she shook her head at him "I do not want to get into a fight with you about this...especially not today." she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair then turned her face up to the sky. "Just surrender now, okay?" she said, looking back at him and stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"You trying to kill me, Sunshine?" he asked, smiling down at her.

"Yes sir, and I will every day for the rest of your life." she winked and ran over to the Nova to get her Beretta from home.

* * *

"Charlotte!" Tara called to her and waved when she saw the orange Nova pull onto the lot. "Do you know what they need me for?" she asked when Charlotte had gotten out and walked over to her.

"Yeah hun." Charlotte nodded, "They need you to take Jimmy O from the van in case the Russians catch up to them after counting the money."

"Okay" Tara said resolutely

"Tara...let me do it." Charlotte said firmly "Stay here with Abel and Gemma."

"No," Tara shook her head "no, no. I need to do this. Not just for the club but for myself. I need to know and for them to know I can be a part of this."

"But Tara-" Charlotte began indignantly.

"Charlotte" Tara said, crossing her arms 'This might sound backwards, but you're lucky. You were raised in a club life and you found your happy ending in one too. My happy ending exists out of the automatic trust that you get for living the life you have. Now my son is going to be in this life...and I want to be in it too."

Charlotte was quiet for a while, trying to find the heart to argue with her more but finally gave in and rubbed her arm. "Alright, Tara." she smiled and sighed, "Alright." Tara smiled graciously at her and the two women waited in silence for their instructions from the club. When Opie came out with a map of where they were going to wait and told them what direction the van was going to come from they both bent attentively over the map to make sure they understood before Tara took the map and folded it up to put in the glove box.

"You all set, Charlie?" Tig asked, pulling her side-saddle onto his motorcycle and holding her close to him.

"Yeah" she said, nodding. "I can do this, no problem." she tilted her head to Tara who was talking to Jax, "She's gunna do pretty damn good too." She closed her eyes and rested her head against his, wrapping her arms around him and breathing steadily until Bobby tapped her gently on the shoulder.

"Sorry newlyweds." he said softly "Get ready to shove off."

"Okay" Charlotte said, hopping off the bike and hugging Bobby before turning to Tig and kissing him on the lips, resting her hand against his chest. "Be safe and go get our guy." she winked at him and ran over to the Cutlass to slide into the passenger seat next to Tara. Before they pulled out Charlotte double checked her gun to make sure it was loaded then tucked it back into the holster under her arm.

* * *

Once they reached the spot where they were going to meet the van when it came down the hill they both got out of the car and waited in a highly alert silence until they saw the black vehicle peeling down the hill toward them. Charlotte focused on getting Jimmy O into the trunk, refusing to make eye contact with Tig in case it threw either of their concentrations. She got into the backseat of the Cutlass next to Miles while Phil slid into the front next to Tara. While Tara kept her eyes on the road Charlotte and the prospects' eyes were searching the road around them; ready for an ambush that may occur.

* * *

Pulling into the lot at Teller-Morrow forty minutes later, Phil hopped out of the Cutlass as it slowed so that he could close the tall gate behind them, closing the compound off from the rest of the world and anyone who may have followed them. When Tara had parked the car in one of the open garage bays Eric and Charlotte got out and closed the metal door behind them then walked back out onto the lot through the office so that they could wait with Gemma and Lyla - who had emerged from the clubhouse when they heard the engine of the Cutlass on the lot - for Phil to open the gate again for the members of SAMCRO who weren't far behind.

The four women stood close together and stared at the closed gate, waiting and hoping that - when it opened - every single member of their family road through unharmed. Through the hold Charlotte had on Gemma's hand she could feel her eyes searching and counting each bike that filed onto the lot when the gate finally did open. When they were sure that everyone had arrived home safe they all embraced before flocking to the men as they were parking their bikes.

Charlotte waited patiently in front of Tig for the engine of his Dyna to go quiet then quickly ran into his arms before he could take his helmet off. "You did it!" she said quietly but full of excitement

"Yeah we did." he said, smiling and kissing her firmly before putting her back on her feet.

"I'm glad you're all alright." she looked around at the relieved men milling around in front of the garage. "I can't imagine the look on the Russian's faces when they saw those fake bills."

The laughter that replaced the nervous energy coming off the men after their risky meeting ceased immediately when they saw ATF pull in behind Jax and Stahl get out of the car. When the first question out of Stahl's mouth was where the club had hidden Jimmy O Charlotte's eyes widened and she squeezed Tig's hand nervously only to have him squeeze it, reassuringly, back before quickly letting go to raise the garage door and expose the Cutlass inside. Charlotte backed away from the garage with her hand to her head in disbelief as the agents descended on Jimmy and ripped him out of the grasps of Tig and Juice while they read him his rights.

Clay, asking the question on everyone's mind, turned to Stahl and said, "How'd you know he was here?" in a flat, dead tone.

Charlotte waited with bated breath for her answer but when she saw the way Stahl was looking at Jax she figured out what must've happened. "No" she whispered softly when Stahl told them all about the deal Jax had made and put her hand on Tig's shoulder before he advanced on Jax in his anger.

"You made a deal for Jimmy?! What?!" he screamed, causing Charlotte to shudder at the sheer magnitude of the hatred that each of his words was dripping with. It wasn't until she heard the heartbroken disbelief and anger in Bobby's voice when he screamed at Jax and pushed him that she felt the hot tears brim around her eyes.

Charlotte abruptly stopped trying to grasp the unfathomable situation SAMCRO had found themselves in when she saw Tig being pulled toward away muttering, "You're dead, you are." over and over in Jax's direction; his eyes wild and hungry for blood. She quickly pulled her eyes from the heartbreaking image of Gemma's scared, tear-stained face with her quivering lower lip and the conversation between Jax and Stahl to run to Tig's side.

When one of the ATF agents first attempted to keep her away from Tig she pushed him roughly out of her way, screaming - her voice thick with unshed tears - "That's my husband!" The agent quickly regained his footing and grabbed her roughly by the arm, causing Tig to pull against the agent who was leading him away in anger at seeing her be manhandled. Instead of lashing out this time, Charlotte looked at the agent with her pleading eyes and said, "That's my husband...let me say goodbye." After a moment's consideration the agent let go of her arm. Tig's arms were planted on the hood of the black sedan so she pushed between him and Bobby and ducked under his braced arm to put herself in between him and the car then threw her arms around Tig's neck while he was patted down from behind.

Being this close to one another Tig was able to whisper urgently in her ear, "Remember what I told you this morning?" he asked, the strain in his voice letting her know it was important that she did.

She thought quickly until...' _Whatever comes, know that things aren't what they seem'_...she recalled then pulled away to look into his eyes. "Is this it?" she asked, letting him know she knew what he was referencing.

"Yeah" he said, he eyes boring holes into hers.

"Okay" she said softly, nodding back then pulled his face down to hers to kiss him.

"Alright that's enough" the agent said, pulling Tig off the car to load the men into the back of the armored transport vehicle.

She kissed him quickly one more time then the thought of Otto on death row popped into her head and she followed the agents around the the back of the van to shout in after he had been handcuffed, "Alex Trager, you keep your cool in there. You understand me?"

"Yes ma'am" he yelled back, locking his blue eyes on her green ones until the doors of the van closed between them and their last view of each other was obstructed by the cross-hatched window set in the thick metal door.


	37. Boudoir Surprise

"We should send them pictures." Lyla suggested one day almost a month after the men had been dragged off in handcuffs.

"I think Jax has pictures already. I bring him one of Abel almost every time we see them" Tara said

Lyla and Charlotte exchanged bemused looks at Tara's obliviousness. "No, Tara." Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head. "Like sexy pictures."

"Oh...no!" Tara said, making a face. "God! Do you know how many people would see those?"

"What if they were ones we didn't really mind other people seeing?" Lyla said with a sly smile

"What, like boudoir photos?" Charlotte asked

"Yeah, something like that." Lyla said smiling at the two women hopefully

"No way." Tara said firmly.

While Lyla tried to convince Tara that it wouldn't be as bad as she thought, Charlotte had opened the laptop that was sitting on the bar and looked up boudoir photographers in the area to show Tara some examples of the work. "Look." she said, turning the screen to face Tara. "That's not so bad, right?" she looked at Tara's stomach, "Besides, you should probably get some pictures like this anyway before that watermelon you're growing in there comes out your peashooter."

"Ugh" Tara rolled her eyes at Charlotte's vulgarity and pulled the computer closer to her, flipping through the pictures. She sighed and looked at the hopeful eyes of Charlotte and Lyla then gave in. "Fine" she huffed, causing the girls to applaud jubilantly, "But I'm not getting naked."

"Trust me, no one's asking your to." Charlotte teased.

"Well, where should we do it?" Lyla asked, excited to start planning.

"How about here?" Charlotte said, looking around at the clubhouse. "Out on the lot in front of garage...we could use the guys' bikes as props."

"Oh my god" Lyla said in amazement, "Such a good idea!"

"They'll love that." Tara said, a small smile creeping onto her face when she thought about Jax's reaction when he saw a picture of her posing seductively on the back of his Harley. "What about Gemma?" she asked suddenly.

"We should tell her too!" Lyla said

"Yeah but she's going to have to do it at home" Charlotte said disappointedly

"Oh right" Lyla said, deflating

"Yeah and I'm sure that ankle bracelet will make for some real sexy pictures" Tara added

"Well" Charlotte said, shrugging, "we'll tell her anyway"

* * *

A week later the women were sitting in the clubhouse having their hair and makeup done by some of Lyla's friends while the photographer they had hired was setting up lights and equipment. While Tara was giving explicit instructions to the poor girl doing her makeup to try and keep her looking as natural as possible Charlotte was talking to Lyla about what she should wear.

"I wanted to wear this." she said holding up a matching see-through black lace bra and thong set. The bra was a longline contour had small pearls sewn into the neckline, underwire and straps to frame her breasts while the waist of the thong had thin white ribbon woven through it to match the white in the bra from the pearls. She lowered her voice "But I've been so backed up lately that I feel like a complete whale." she spread her silk robe to show Lyla her stomach.

Lyla ran her hand over Charlotte's abdomen and tilted her head then shrugged, "It's probably just the stress of Tig being inside and starting a business while trying to help at the garage and...everything else." she smiled at Charlotte, "You still look great, I say take a laxative and go for the two piece." Charlotte chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You're starting in the flyaway babydoll anyway, right?"

"Yeah" Charlotte said, plucking the red gossamer babydoll from the rack in front of her and looking at it.

"So if you really feel that self conscious just keep it on" Lyla advised, shrugging her shoulders.

"You're right" Charlotte agreed, nodding her head then turning toward the bathroom to change.

"I feel like we should have feather boas or something" Tara was saying when Charlotte came out of the bathroom.

"It's going to turn out way classier than that" Lyla assured her, adjusting the pink ruffle panties over her ass cheeks.

"Can you…?" Tara asked, gesturing at the back of the merrywidow corset she was wearing for Charlotte to tie it shut for her. When she was laced up the three of them walked out onto the lot to meet the photographer and take turns posing in front of the closed garage doors on their significant others' bikes, cheering each other on as they did.

* * *

After their session at the garage was done and night had fallen, they were dressed again and driving over to Gemma's in Tara's Cutlass; feeling the effects of the inescapable high of the enjoyment they had taking pictures with each other. The three of them walked into Gemma's house for dinner, full of laughter when trying to tell Gemma about the session they had.

Gemma couldn't help but smile at the three young women sitting at her table getting along so well; rejoicing in the sound of laughter filling her house again despite her husband and son being in prison. "So when are these pictures going to be ready?" Gemma asked, passing a tray of biscuits to her left.

"Another two weeks or something" Lyla answered.

"Well, I can't wait to see them." Gemma smiled lovingly at the girls

"When do we get to see yours, Gem?" Charlotte asked, smiling mischievously. A week ago, when they had asked Gemma if she wanted to join in the boudoir photo shoot for the men, she had revealed that she had already had such pictures taken years ago when Clay went away the first time.

"Don't get fresh" Gemma warned jokingly until she dropped her fork quickly and ran to get a paper napkin from the counter for Charlotte, whose nose had started bleeding.

"What's-?" Charlotte began in confusion until Gemma held the napkin to her nose. "Oh man, is it bleeding again?" she asked, standing up quickly and going to stand over the sink.

"Again?" Tara asked, her voice full of concern as she got up to help Charlotte

"Yeah, in the last couple of weeks I've started getting them." she turned her eyes to see the worried look on Tara's face. "I don't think it's a big deal, they're not even that heavy when they do happen."

Tara looked at Charlotte in silence for a while before looking intently over her shoulder at Gemma and Lyla while Charlotte continued to dab her nose with the napkin. "Um...Charlotte..." she said tentatively, "Has anything else been bothering you?"

She shrugged, and stood up when she was sure the bleeding had stopped, "My back and feet but that's not exactly surprising considering all the work I've been doing at the club to get it ready."

Gemma paid no attention to this information but Lyla stood up quickly from her seat and exclaimed, "Oh my god you're pregnant!"

After a moment's silence Charlotte burst into laughed and held her stomach as it shook with the hysterics that moved through her body. "Are you insane?" she asked when she caught her breath, "There's, like, less than a five percent chance of that happening with a hormonal IUD."

"Two percent, actually" Tara said, looking Charlotte up and down. "When was the last time you got your period?"

"They stopped when I got the IUD." Charlotte admitted, hugging her body as she began to feel uncomfortable.

Gemma's hands went to her mouth to conceal the smile breaking across it.

"You need to come with me to the hospital right now." Tara said urgently, grabbing her coat and keys and dragging Charlotte toward the door.

"Stop!" Charlotte demanded, wrenching her hand from Tara's grip. "You all are acting insane. There's no way I can be fucking pregnant."

"Then there's no harm in letting the good doctor check you out, then, is there?" Gemma said, pushing Charlotte toward the door after Tara and following them to the hospital despite Charlotte's protests.

The three of them loaded into Gemma's Caddy, leaving Lyla behind to watch Abel and clean up after the dinner they had very abruptly left, and Charlotte continued to point out how ridiculous they were all being.

"Charlotte!" Tara said loudly, "If you are pregnant then we don't know where the IUD falls into it. It could have resulted in an ectopic pregnancy or the IUD could harm you or the baby depending on where is landed after it shook free." Charlotte fell quiet.

"C'mon now" Gemma said, looking at Charlotte in the rearview mirror "A baby wouldn't be so bad."

"Then I'll give it to you" Charlotte snapped

"Oh, Charlotte…" Gemma began with a roll of her eyes.

"No, no" Charlotte said aggressively, moving closer to the two in the front seats. "Please tell me that the idea of a felonious psychopath and a cold-hearted bitch raising a baby doesn't make your stomach turn."

"Only half that statement is even true." Tara said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, which half?" Charlotte asked cynically

"The felony part and the bitch part." Tara said, bursting into laughter with Gemma as they pulled into the parking lot at the hospital.

* * *

Once in the examination room Charlotte stared, stone-faced, at the ceiling with the paper gown balled up in her clasped hands. When Tara squeezed the cold jelly onto her stomach Charlotte shivered and held her breath when Tara ran the wand over her abdomen. She didn't have to hold it long, though, because - after a few seconds - she heard the _wuvmp wuvmp wuvmp wuvmp_ of a heartbeat coming from the monitor next to her. Her face got instantly hot at the overwhelming dread she felt rush through her body.

"It looks like...it looks like you're about twenty weeks along." Tara informed her as they both stared at the Ultrasound screen.

With this information Charlotte grabbed the speculum off the tray next to her and threw it at the wall, causing Tara to jump. "Five months?! I'M GUNNA FUCKING KILL HIM!" she screamed, loud enough for Gemma - who was standing outside the door - to hear, along with the unsuspecting nurses walking by in the hallway.

Despite understanding that Charlotte was upset and that she needed to be sensitive to that, Tara couldn't help but laugh at her impassioned outbursts causing Charlotte to shoot her an incensed glare. "Oh, I'm-I'm sorry" Tara said, trying to hide her laughter.

"Can it, Doc" Charlotte said bitterly, falling back onto the examination table. Tara calmed herself down and took Charlotte's hand, looking up at her stunned face.

"Well" Tara said softly, rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb and clearing her throat "you do have options, even this far along in your pregnancy."

"Abortion?" Charlotte asked, "Hmm, happily married for, basically, forty-eight hours, husband in prison, twenty-seven year old college graduate, in the middle opening a strip club…" she sighed, "Nah, I have no right thinkin' like that."

"Well, if you really do want to keep it I'm gunna want to look around to try and find that IUD and make sure everything's alright as far as that goes." she put the wand back to Charlotte's stomach and moved it around, looking for the little plastic T. "It's not ectopic which is also good and the baby's heartbeat is strong."

"Oh god." Charlotte said urgently, sitting up on her elbows. "Tara I've been drinking...I got high!" she started to hyperventilate. "I've got-I've been...oh god, is it going to have two heads or somethin'?" She squeezed Tara's hand anxiously.

"No, no" Tara said, laughing. "For all we know it could be fine and I swear it doesn't have an extra head." she looked closer at the image on the ultrasound "It doesn't look like there are any other structural issues so anything caused by the FAS won't be determined until the baby starts to miss developmental milestones, if it does."

"There aren't any tests you can do?" Charlotte asked helplessly

"Not for FAS. We can do an amnio if you want to cover all your bases."

"Yeah." Charlotte said, laying back down slowly, "Yeah let's do that."

"We can't do it tonight but I'll be sure to make you an appointment." She clicked the button to print a picture of the ultrasound and put the wand away before wiping off Charlotte's stomach. "Well, I couldn't find the IUD." Charlotte tensed, "Which is actually a good thing." Tara said, patting her reassuringly on the arm, "It means that it's probably got engulfed by the placenta and is nowhere near the amniotic sack and isn't in danger of hurting your uterus in any way. All in all, considering the things that could've gone wrong that didn't I'd say you're pretty lucky."

"Lucky" Charlotte scoffed and turned away from Tara. "You must think I'm a horrible person."

"No," Tara said soothingly, "Just scared...I can understand that. There's not a woman who's ever been a mother that wasn't." she sat back down next to Charlotte. "Hell, I am." At this admission from Tara, Charlotte finally broke down and started crying.

"I can't…" Charlotte began, taking heavy purposeful breaths then turned to look Tara in the eye, "I can't do what everyone else can. I can't be a mother, it's just not in my nature. My life has made me too hard and cold to be good at anything like this." She tried to appear proud of this fact but when she thought of the heartbeat she had listened to it broke her heart to admit.

"That" Tara said, getting up and wiping the goo off of Charlotte's stomach, "is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard in my entire life. Hell, Charlotte, all we have to do is look at the way you are with Tig to know that you're just telling yourself that because you're scared." she sighed. "Do you love Tig?"

"Of course." Charlotte said defensively

"Are you gunna love his baby?"

Charlotte swallowed and repeated, "Of course." much more quietly, tentatively touching her stomach for the first time.

"Then that's all you need." Tara said supportively, "The rest will come. Now," she waved the sonogram at Charlotte, "Do you want to know what it is?"


	38. The Jitterbug

Two Saturdays later - the third of the month, otherwise known as Visitor's Day - Tig waited anxiously with Clay, Jax and Opie to be led into the visitors' room. A while back Clay had let slip about the photo shoot the women planned after Gemma had told him about it in confidence and they knew that today was the day they girls were bringing them.

"Oh man" Tig said, rubbing his hands together. "It'll be nice not to be forced to try and find the images of naked women in you back hair, Clay." This comment earned him a swift punch to the arm.

"I don't know what you're complaining about." Jax said, holding his bandaged wounds while chuckling, "Charlie brought you that picture from your wedding weeks ago."

"Yeah" Tig said, thinking fondly of the picture Phil had gotten of Charlotte standing at the altar, smiling over her shoulder at someone in the crowd, the white silhouette of her lace clad body glowed in the lights of the arch and her shoulder was raised, playfully, to her cheek so that her crow tattoo was clearly visible. Tig's presence in the picture was barely noticeable due to the hypnotizing beauty of her beaming smile and twinkling green eyes but Phil had captured him, in that moment, looking wistfully at her. He jolted out of his reverie and said, "But she's not naked in that picture."

They were finally permitted to file into the meeting room and embrace their visitors for the allotted seconds. Tig sat across from her and smiled excitedly. He was so caught up in his hunger to see the pictures she had taken that she didn't notice that Gemma, Tara and Lyla were 'shush-ing' the men sitting opposite them and attempting to eavesdrop on the coming interaction with Charlotte.

"Well" he said, looking at her and spreading his hands in confusion, "where are they?"

"Where are what, darlin'?" she asked, the sweetness of her voice emphasizing her accent.

"My pictures!" he said, smiling boyishly at her

"Ohhh" she said softly, pulling a folder out of her bag. "You want pictures."

Her smiling ceased and was replaced with pursed lips when he tugged the folder out of her hands and flipped it open on the table in front of him. She crossed her arms over her chest while he looked at the small, blotchy, black and white picture in front of him.

"What's this?" he asked, confused and disappointed, finally looking at her.

"Oh" she said, leaning closer to him, her eyes flashing angrily "That?" He was suddenly aware of the eyes on them but nodded anyway to let her know that's what he was referring to. "That" her voice was a low growl now, "is the result of your dumb ass, Michael Phelps sperm." He blinked stupidly at her so she picked up the sonogram picture and held in right in front of his eyes. "You knocked me up, Tigger."

"What?!" he said in disbelief, taking the picture from her hands. "How?" She couldn't help but be overcome by a genuine sense of glee at the basic idiocy of this question and started laughing good-naturedly at him. "I-I mean" he said, trying to correct himself "I just…" he fell back into his chair and breathed, "wow...wow" his voice got stronger and he sat up slowly, smiling at the picture in his hand. "Wow." he said, turning his smile up to Charlotte who was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide her own.

"Pretty wild, huh?" she said softly, looking at her hands.

In response he sprung to his feet and kissed her firmly on the lips to the applause of the men around him to whom he turned, waving the sonogram in the air and shouted, "My Charlie's pregnant!" He pulled her close to him and kissed her again despite the warning he had received from the guard the first time.

When the guard advanced toward him he put his hands up quickly and sat back down to show he was being compliant with prison protocols, the smile never wavering from his face. He eyes dropped from her face and looked more closely at the picture. "Hey...it looks like a baby" he said, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, well, Tara tells me that when you've been pregnant for five months that tends to happen. She says it even has eyebrows." Charlotte said, scratching her nose.

"F-five months?!" he said loudly, "There's no way you're five months" he scoffed, looking at her still relatively flat stomach

"A little closer to six months at this point, actually."

"That means I must've-"

"Gotten me pregnant, probably, the first time we had sex?" she said, the corner of her mouth turned up. "Yeah," she wrinkled her nose at the irony of their situation. "that's what I figure as well." They sat in a happily stunned silence before Charlotte said, "Nice going, shithead."

"I guess I wanted to pin your down before I pinned you down." he chuckled, smiling over at her then took in the delicate features of her face and became suddenly serious. "Oh Charlie" he whispered, running his hand through his hair, "I'm so sorry." he shook his head, "I'm sorry this was a surprise." he looked around the room, "I'm sorry I'm in here and you have to do this all on your own."

She shrugged and reached over to hold his hand, "Well, I figured - when I married you - I wasn't exactly going to be living a cookie-cutter, picket fence life."

He laughed with her and nodded, "Yeah, I guess that's pretty obvious." he looked down at their fingers woven together, "Damn, I love you. Even in here I feel lucky."

She smiled at him but before she was able to say anything on of the COs said, "Wrap it up, boys." They both stood up to kiss each other goodbye and Charlotte handed him a manila envelope before her left her side.

"Those are what you were expecting when you came in." she said, her voice a playful whisper, and bit her lower lip.

"Ha ha!" he said triumphantly, holding the envelope tightly in his hands then looked at the sonogram he was holding. "Can I keep this too?"

"Of course." she smiled sweetly at him as he was led away from her behind the rest of the SAMCRO men.

"Wait...WAIT!" he called back into the visiting room before the door closed behind him, fighting against the CO who was trying to force him out. "Do you know what it is?! Charlie! Do you know?"

She turned quickly from where she had gone to stand by Gemma, Tara and Lyla before they, too, left the visitors' room and cupped her hand over her mouth so that he could hear her when the door inevitably closed on him. "It's a boy!" she yelled

"A boy?!" he repeated, pressing his hand against the glass of the door that closed between them. When she nodded to affirm what he had heard, he spun around to the men in the hall behind him and exclaimed, "I'm having a son!" he pulled the CO closest to him and planted a kiss on his cheek in his excitement. "I'm having a son!" he repeated to the wild cheers of the men of SAMCRO who were beaming at him. "Oh…" he staggered a little into Jax as the weight of the situation hit him "I'm having a son." he said again, softly this time as Jax and Opie helped him back to his feet.

"Yeah buddy." Jax said, clapping him on the shoulder and smiling at him "Congratulations."

* * *

Once back in his cell Tig had just enough time to stow the unopened envelope under his mattress before going to lunch where the first thing he did after sitting down across from Chibs was pull the sonogram out of his breast pocket and slide it across the table to him.

"Hey!" Chibs said, dropping his spoon onto his tray and snatching up the picture, "Looka tha'! Way to go Tiggy" he pat Tig on the shoulder in congratulations then passed the sonogram to Bobby who automatically started laughing.

"Oh man, Tig." Bobby said, handing the picture back to him after Juice got a look at it. "What'd you do to get that poor girl to put up with you?" he laughed and shook his head.

Tig smiled at Bobby then down at the sonogram, "No idea, brotha. I feel like the paperwork got messed up up there and they gave me someone else's life." he glanced discreetly over at Opie and flushed with embarrassment, "God knows I don't deserve it."

* * *

 _Tig had just pulled the ski mask down over his face despite the fear that was bubbling in his stomach. After taking a deep breath to quell the terror that was surging through his body he pointed the automatic rifle at the the pick up truck and fired at the back of the figure sitting inside. When he pulled up, however, he saw Charlotte's face drained of all color, her head flopped over on the driver's side window while a woman with a perfect hole in the back of her brunette head had her hands on Charlotte's swollen, bleeding stomach screaming, "Help!" over and over. The woman turned to look at Tig to beg him for help and Tig saw the big, brown, unseeing eyes and stiff, shiny, porcelain skin of a doll version of Donna._

"Fuck!" he screamed, sitting up straight in his bed underneath Clay's bunk; completely drenched with sweat. His heart was beating like the wings of a hummingbird against his chest and he was trying unsuccessfully to catch his breath. when his hands finally stopped shaking and his breath had evened out he got out of bed and dug around under the mattress Clay was sleeping soundly on until his hand closed around the cell phone Clay had stowed there.

"Wha-what?!" Charlotte answered after three long rings, her voice frantic.

"Charlie." Tig said softly, closing his eyes; grateful to hear the sound of her voice.

"What's wrong?" her voice was nervous

"Nothing...I-I…" he took a breath, "I had a bad dream."

"Are you kiddin' me?" she said, all the groggy charm gone from her voice.

"I was bad, okay?" he said defensively, baring his teeth. He held his head in his hands as he continued. "Donna was a doll and I shot you and killed the baby."

Charlotte was quiet for a second as she softened her approach to the situation. "Oh, honey, everything's alright, okay? I promise."

"Okay." he said, letting this comment settle into his brain as a truth. "Okay." he repeated, nodding with acceptance. "The shit I've done in my life is going to come back for me, Charlie." he said sadly, "I just don't want it to affect you."

"Live your amends, remember?" she said softly after emitting a small yawn that gave him goosebumps.

He was quiet for a while, thinking, when he finally said, "Did you know I was inside when the girls were born too?"

"No, I didn't" she said sadly

"Yeah. I mean most guys would be more than happy to miss this part...but I missed it once already and then I missed the rest of my daughters' lives. Like it was predetermined that way or something."

"Listen," he heard her rustling the sheets as she sat up in bed "I am not a picnic on a day-to-day basis so, honestly, if I were you - I wouldn't want to be here either." she waited for him to chuckle at her joke but he didn't and just stared sullenly at the cinderblock wall. "Alex, if there were something I could sign saying that I will never take your son away from you, I would. Until then you'll just have to trust me."

This thought just opened up more worries for Tig as he thought about what kind of life his son would have being raised so close to the path of destruction that followed Tig wherever he went. While he tried to determine the implications of the conflicting fears of him losing his son and simultaneously being worried about keeping him he couldn't zone in on what Charlotte was saying until she yelled his name into the receiver.

"Tig!"

"Yeah" he said, shaking his head to rid his thoughts from it.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah" he said softly. "Yeah, I do. I miss you."

"I miss you too...I'll see you in a month, okay?"

"Okay." he said with a sigh. He waited until she hung up the phone before slipping it back underneath Clay's mattress and attempting the go back to sleep.

After his attempts had failed and he laid awake in his bed when the early morning light started to stream through the bars of his cell from the outer wall of the hallway he decided that sleep at this point was pointless.

"Oh!" he said softly to himself when he remembered the other pictures Charlotte had brought him then quickly moved to retrieve them from under his mattress.

He sat up against the wall and emptied the contents of the envelope onto his bed. He shuffled the pictures in his hands so they were all facing the same direction and began examining them. The first of the four photos was a Polaroid, different than the rest since it was the one that Gemma had taken months ago during their last stay in Stockton where Charlotte was standing in the garage, her hair pulled back and face smudged with grease; wearing Tig's work shirt. This picture made Tig smile and he stuck it on the wall next to the sonogram with some tacky.

The next picture made the blood rush from his head to be evenly distributed between his cheeks and his penis. Charlotte was kneeling on the leather seat of his Dyna in black underwear that he could see hugging her smooth curves through the sheer, red fabric of the flyaway teddy she was wearing. She was exposing her neck by holding her full, blonde waves in her fingers with one hand while she was biting playfully on the pointer finger of her other hand. The sun illuminated the fair hairs on her upper thighs and arms making her look illuminated.

When his eyes had finished travelling the curves of her body silhouetted by the sheer chiffon of the teddy he flipped to the next picture. In this one she had taken off her teddy so that the lace and embellishments of her underwear were much easier to see and he could even see her nipples through the lace and she was leaning against the bike with her hands spread, resting on the handlebars and the seat. Standing in front of the bike now he could see that she was also wearing high-heeled, patent leather boots that zipped all the way up to her knee.

At the next picture he instantly slid his hand under the elastic of the navy blue, cotton, standard issue pants. Charlotte's bra was off and she was laying on her stomach on the seat of his Harley with her legs bent at the knee, having traded the boots for some red high heeled pumps. She was positioned on the bike in such a way that he could see the mounds of her breasts pressed against the gas tank. His eyes moved from her chest and base of her neck where her hairs was draped softly, down the soft slope of her back and hesitated at the thin, black fabric that hugged her hips but didn't obscure the supple skin of her round ass cheeks.

"Hey!" Clay yelled at Tig when his feet hit the floor of the cell and he saw Tig with his hand down his pants. "Cut that shit out." Tig grumbled and rolled his eyes, pulling his hand out of his pants, but continued to look at the picture in his hand while Clay relieved himself in the metal commode in the corner of their cell.

* * *

When Charlotte and Tig sat across the metal table from one another in the visitors' room a month later they both had noticeable changes in their appearance.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked, reaching across the table to open the collar of his shirt a little so she could see the new ink on his clavicle, peeking up onto his neck slightly.

"No touching." the CO barked, causing her to pull her hand back quickly and rest it on her suddenly bulbous stomach.

"Who the fuck is that guy?" she snapped, glaring at the CO by the door.

"Guy that came off of leave...he's a real pain." Tig said, shrugging. He spread the collar of his shirt so she could see the new tattoo he had gotten. It was a black and white of a doll with buttons for eyes holding a smoking AK-47 in one hand and a rose in the other. When Charlotte had finished looking at it and raised her eyes to his, he explained, "After those dreams." he cleared his throat, "I just needed...something" he waved his hand over the spot on his chest where his tattoo was.

Understanding his sick, twisted mind she smiled sweetly and said, "It's beautiful, Alex." He smiled back at her, proudly, until she jumped and put her hand to her stomach. "Oh!" she yelped and rolled her eyes impatiently, "Will you desist, you little jitterbug?" she groaned at her stomach

"Wha-what's happening?" he asked nervously

"What's happenin' is that I am carryin' Billy Elliot's twin is what it is." she looked at Tig's innocently confused face and sighed. "He's kickin'."

"He is?!" he asked, his face glowing with excitement; eyes wide.

"Yeah" she nodded and stood up to sit on his side of the table. When she was sitting the warhorse of a CO came right over to them and glared at Tig's hand on her stomach.

"No touching." he growled

Without raising her eyes to look at him Charlotte hissed through a smile, "My husband is feelin' his son's first movements while he attempts TO CLIMB MY BLADDER." she yelled the last part and looked coldly up at the CO. "So why don't you go back by the door and watch to make sure that nothin' actually bad is happenin'." The CO blinked defiantly at her until she stared him down and he went back to his post.

"You know I'm gunna pay for that later" Tig said, a smile on his face as his hands continued to roam over Charlotte's stomach.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you. Do you mind?" she spat sarcastically.

"Not at all." he chuckled then sat up when he felt movement under his hands, "Oh. Oh!" he laughed heartily and smiled down at her stomach. "He's kicking." he whispered happily.

"Yup. It's a goddamned miracle." Charlotte said cynically

"Oh, c'mon darlin'. Sure it is!" he said, taking her by the hand.

"Sure" she snorted, "Just like these clown feet I got now and the fact that this parasite won't let me eat fried chicken or rare meat 'm just chock fulla miracle." she shifted uncomfortably on the round, metal seat at the table, "I can't even concentrate on my visit because all I'm thinking about is how long I have to wait to pee again."

He laughed and pulled her head towards him to kiss her on the head. "You're a trooper, Charlie." He called over to Tara and Jax at the other table, "Hey Doc! How's my girl doing at taking care of my boy?"

Tara chuckled at the indignant squeak Charlotte made at this question but said, "She's doing fine. She's awfully good at pretending to be unhappy but it's more than obvious that she can't wait for that baby to get here."

"Get out, you mean" Charlotte said, rolling her eyes but smiling down at her stomach.

"What's the official count on you two?" Clay asked, smiling at the two pregnant ladies.

"I'm, uh, twenty-six weeks. Right?" Charlotte asked Tara, who nodded, "So I have a little less than four months to go."

"And I'm fifteen weeks so I have a little over six months to go." Tara said, rubbing her stomach.

"Well, we'll have plenty to keep us busy." Gemma said, smiling at the two women.

"Wrap it up." the CO barked from the door, spurring the women and man to stand up from where they were sitting and say goodbye.

"Hey, we'll have gotten some more good behavior time that we'll be able to have less strict visitation." Clay informed the women, "Gemma will let you know more about it."

"Okay." Tara and Charlotte nodded, taking their turns to kiss Clay goodbye on the cheek.

When Tig and the men had filtered out of the visiting room Tig turned before the door closed to see Charlotte holding her stomach and breathing through her mouth while she said, "Damn jitterbug." He smiled in utter bliss and held onto the heavenly memory of her visit as he entered back into his hell.


	39. First Son

When October came and the humidity in the hot, northern California air had dissipated Charlotte was in her final month of pregnancy but the fifteen degree drop in temperature had not had the effect on her attitude that the members of SAMCRO had hoped.

"Where they FUCK are my jalapenos?" she snapped at Eric as soon as she walked in the door of the clubhouse, flinging her purse at Phil.

"Nooo no no" he said, bravely blocking her way to the kitchen, "Doc said you shouldn't have any more of those or you'll mess up your stomach." She started to glare at the cowering prospect and, in his fear, he called out for Kozik and Piney.

"Ugh! Pussy!" she yelled at him as the two men came down the hallway toward her.

"Now, Charlotte" Piney began trying to be as warm and fatherly as possible "you and I both know that eating spicy food is clearly not going to work here or it would've already."

"Seven days, Piney. Seven." she held up seven fingers then held her large, swollen stomach. "Imagine if someone told you, 'Here, stick this bowling ball up your ass for a week.' and you do and you get through it by thinking to yourself, 'Oh, it's only a week. I only have so many days left.' and then this person doesn't come to remove the bowling ball from your ass for a whole MONTH. I think that you would be trying to do anything you fucking could to get that fucking bowling ball out as soon as possible."

Piney couldn't help but smile at her in her frantic state. He had thoroughly enjoyed her terrorizing the prospects in Tig's absence and how short her fuse had gotten when it came to handling Tara and Kozik. The only two people safe from her pregnant wrath were Gemma and Piney.

Even though Kozik had already been patched into SAMCRO for three months he was still trying to win Tig's favor by being as kind to Charlotte as he could while she was pregnant. "Why don't you sit down." he said soothingly to Charlotte who was now bent over the bar, holding the knot in her lower back.

"I don't want to sit down, Kozik." she said harshly. "I want this goddamn bug to get out of my body already. Can you help me with that? Can you? Hmm?" she glared at him.

"Charlotte, heyyyyyyy…" Tara said softly and uncertainly, walking toward Charlotte who was still bent over the bar.

Without picking her head up off the bar she grabbed Tara's arm, digging her nails into the skin, "Tara...please tell me we can induce today. Please? October 16th sounds like a really good day to give birth. Like almost better than October 15th...which also would've been great but, today, I think today is much better. The planets are aligned or some such nonsense and it's just…" her mindless babbling trailed off as she stood back up and stared at Tara with red eyes from not having slept very well.

"Well, we are going to check that right now. Okay?"

"Okay." Charlotte said docily, and allowed Tara to guide her out of the clubhouse and into the passenger seat of the Cutlass.

* * *

"Okay, good." Tara said when they were in the hospital and she had removed her fingers from Charlotte's cervix.

"Good?!" Charlotte said excitedly, sitting up in the stirrups, "What's good?"

"You've gotten up to 5cm dilation and you're about 60% effaced. I feel comfortable giving you the suppository today to start the contractions and your water should break in eight to ten hours but I still want you to walk around here for an hour or two before I administer the gel. Sound good?"

Charlotte fell back onto the crinkling paper shielding the cheap vinyl examination chair from her skin and closed her eyes, relieved. "Yes, yes...good."

Tara smiled knowingly and pat Charlotte on the hand after she had thrown out her gloves. "I'm gunna call Gemma, she can leave Abel with Neeta and come walk with you while I finish up here then "

Charlotte nodded and pulled her button up, chambray shirtdress back over her head before exiting the exam room and started walking the halls. On the way back from the dining room after having bought an oatmeal pie and a YooHoo Charlotte ran into Gemma in the hallway.

"Oh Char!" Gemma said, putting her hands on Charlotte's stomach then pulled her into a hug. "Are you ready, sweetheart?"

"Ha" she laughed coldly, "I've been ready for three months. Did you ever notice that you can only find YooHoo in hospitals and airports these days?"

Gemma chuckled and slipped her arm through Charlotte's, "No I haven't." The pair walked around for a couple of hours on the maternity ward until they heard a page for Charlotte over the intercom. They met Tara and one of the obstetricians she worked with in a single room on the floor where the doctor applied the prostin gel and told Charlotte to remain in bed until the doctor came back in six hours to give her another dose or if she started having contractions, whichever came first.

"Oh, they'll come." Charlotte said, nodding and pounding the pillow to form it comfortably under her lower back "This little bug is gettin' his eviction notice today and he's gunna pack his shit toot sweet, that's what I know." She shook her hair out of her face and sat resolutely in bed as though she expected the contractions to begin as soon as she finished her sentence.

* * *

They didn't.

Instead, Charlotte spent the next six hours sitting in bed and playing cards with Gemma and Tara until Eric and Phil walked into her room.

"What do you all want?" she asked grumpily.

"Tig called." Phil said glumly

Charlotte perked up, "Said that if we weren't at the hospital while you were at the hospital there was no way we were getting patched in." Eric continued

"At least not with our existing limbs." Phil said, looking at his feet.

"Kinda hard to ride when you're missing a hand." she said, smiling cooly at them and adjusting her position on the pillows

"Yes ma'am." they both said, defeatedly, and took a seat in the two chairs around a table in the corner of the room.

"Oh you know I love you both." she said, rolling her eyes and pulling her hair up off her neck.

"If they didn't know that do you think they'd still be around?" Tara chuckled

"If they want to be SAMCRO the would." Gemma said proudly

"I don't know." Tara chuckled, "Phil's got a pretty nasty scar from when she threw that tray at him."

"How about the tennis elbow I got from being told to clean the bikes three times in one day because she kept forgetting she told me to clean them already." Eric chimed in.

All three women turned to look at him with their eyebrows raised and Charlotte said, "No one told you to speak, Puppy."

"S-sorry" he said quickly and looked down at his feet.

Just then the doctor came back in to check Charlotte out and the two men got to their feet before Tara even finished ordering them to get out.

"Okay" the doctor said soothingly, touching her hand to Charlotte's bent knee while she replaced the gel with a new one. "Let's give this another shot and see where it gets us. You're dilated to seven so it shouldn't be much longer now."

"Okay" Charlotte sighed and fell back onto the hospital bed.

* * *

The second dose of prostin worked in less than forty-five minutes and Charlotte sat up in bed, cradling her stomach and groaning.

"I'll get Dr. DeWalt." Tara said, getting to her feet. Gemma stood up quickly at Charlotte's side and held her hand, helping her breathe through the contraction until the doctor came in.

"Wonderful, wonderful." the doctor said, feeling her cervix after removing the gel suppository "The little guy just needed a little push, that's all." she smiled at Charlotte who smiled back but rolled her eyes when the doctor turned away. "So I'll go get everything set up for the epidural."

"No" Charlotte said quickly, stopping the doctor as she was halfway out of her seat. "No epidural. I want the pain." she thought about the days she had spent in the dirty motel room, completely cut off from the world as she got perpetually high and she thought about Tig, completely cut off from the world in his prison cell while his son was being brought into the world. "I want the pain." she repeated, nodding her head.

And pain she had...

* * *

"AHHHHHH!" Charlotte screamed, closing her eyes tightly as sweat poured down from her hairline and plastered her hair to her face and neck, and squatted into the contraction that was pulling on the base of her spine.

Gemma had since let go of Charlotte's hand when she felt her bones start to crack under the pressure of Charlotte's grasp and was standing close to Charlotte with a cup of ice chips for her to have when she wanted them.

When the door opened and Phil slunk back into the hospital room, looking down at his feet as Charlotte's eyes lasered onto him. "Where is it?!" she spat, trying to stand up straight again.

"They don't have any." he said sheepishly, backing into the wall as Charlotte advanced toward him.

"Do you have a death wish?" she hissed, grabbing the collar of his prospect's kutte "I don't care if another woman is in the process of givin' birth on the ball. I want you to - OH! GOD DAMN IT!" with this new wave of pain she bent over again, pulling him downward with her "I want you to grab it out from under her and bring it to me." Charlotte relinquished her grasp on him and turned back to the hospital bed to put her face in the sheets and scream as another contraction began.

"I got it! I got it!" Eric slammed into the hospital room.

At this triumphant exclamation Charlotte stood up quickly and turned to see Eric holding a pearlescent green birthing ball with a boastfully proud smile on his face. "Oh, Puppy!" she said happily, grabbing the ball from his hands and kissing his on the cheek. "This is why _you're_ my favorite."

"Where'd you find one?" Gemma asked, helping Charlotte keep her balance while she laid down with the ball in the curve of her spine as she bent backward over it, causing her stomach to protrude even more but soothing the clenching pain in her lower back.

"Uhhh" he looked uncertainly from Phil to Gemma before saying, "A yoga place up the block...I figured they wouldn't miss it." he shrugged and Charlotte burst into laughter as she rocked back and forth on the ball until her laughter turned into whimpers of pain and heavy breaths, waiting for her contraction to pass.

* * *

The clock struck three and Tara was helping Charlotte back into the bed for Dr. DeWalt to time her latest contractions.

"I'm tired." Charlotte wheezed to Gemma, her vision blurred by sweat and tears, and rested her head against Gemma's shoulder. "I'm so tired."

"I know darlin'" Gemma said, kissing Charlotte's wet forehead. "I know but you're doing such a good job...How much longer?!" she snapped at the doctor.

"No longer." Dr. DeWalt said smiling up at Charlotte. "You ready to start pushing Mrs. Trager?" Charlotte stared down at the doctor as though she were speaking a different language. "Can you get me a nurse Dr. Knowles." Tara nodded and rushed out of the room.

"Get Tig on the phone." Gemma shot the order at the prospects who were standing in the corner of the room farthest from where the doctor was working.

When Tara came back with the nurse the squat, ginger woman looked around the room and barked, "Alright, everyone out." she looked at the two men in the corner, "One of you the father?"

"No, no. No." Eric said nervously while Phil silently shook his head with the phone to his ear.

"Then get out." the nurse ordered again.

"No!" Charlotte squeaked through the contraction that she was dealing with by tensing her neck and arms. "No, Tara." she fell back on the bed, gasping for air. "Tara...stay." she held her hand out and Tara promptly grabbed it in hers.

"Give me the phone." she said to Phil who handed it over to her before being shepherded out of the room by the nurse.

* * *

Clay rolled over in his bed when he felt something digging into his back and vibrating. With the pressure of his body no longer on the phone it started to emit a tinny buzzing against the metal frame of his bed. He groaned and put the phone to his ear, "Whaaaat?!" he hissed grumpily.

"Wake Tig up. Now!" Tara said while she put some ice chips in Charlotte's mouth.

Without further ado Clay swung his legs off the top bunk and landed in front of Tig. "Tig!" he hissed, "Tig! Wake up you sad fuck the doc is on the line."

"Doc?" Tig said groggily, sitting up in bed

When she heard his voice Tara put the phone up to Charlotte's ear. "It's Tig." she said

"Alex?!" Charlotte yelled into the phone after having pushed with one of her contractions. "Alex?!"

"Yeah baby." Tig said, standing up and starting to pace his cell while Clay waited patiently, leaning against the bed. "Baby, I'm here what's happening?"

"What's happening?!" she repeated frustratedly into the phone, baring down when the doctor told her to push again. "Ahhh! You fucking seed is tearing me open that's what's happening!" Tara pulled the phone away from Charlotte's mouth as she continued to curse angrily.

"Push!" the doctor ordered again, loud enough for Tig to hear it on the other line.

When the contraction was over Charlotte pulled Tara's hand holding the phone back to her ear and said, "Do you hear what you've done to me to me you son of a bitch?!"

Tig simply laughed at her and said, "I love you Charlie. I love you. You can do this."

"Ohhhh!" she breathed heavily in and out through her mouth, "I love you too you piece of shit."

"Gee I hope the baby will call me that too."

"Okay Charlotte," Dr. DeWalt said, looking at her over her knees. "One more big push on the next contraction and the hard part is over. Okay Charlotte?"

Tig listened intently on the phone, smiling stupidly at Clay as he tried to make sense of the chaos on the other side.

"Okay, push!"

"Fuck!" Charlotte yelled as she squeezed her eyes shut and pushed at the doctor's order

"Good job, Charlotte! Good job!" Tara said, beaming and holding her hand tightly as she continued to push.

"Aaaand there's the head." the doctor said calmly

"A head?" Charlotte asked woozily as she felt some of the pain subside and fell back onto the bed, looking up at the lights.

"A head!" Tig whooped when he heard the message passed through the phone. Clay's smile was wide and bright but he put his finger up to his mouth to keep Tig from alerting the guards that he was on an illegal phone.

"Just a couple more." Tara whispered to Charlotte who was exhausted, laying on the bed and her head drooping slowly to her shoulder. "C'mon Char."

"C'mon Charlie-girl." Tig said supportively in her ear, "C'mon I wanna meet my boy."

"Okay" Charlotte nodded and croaked, her mouth dry and sat back up; ready to take instruction from the doctor again.

"Alright Charlotte." Dr. DeWalt said, nodding her head for Charlotte to push.

Charlotte sat up and grabbed her knees to give one big push, causing the rest of the baby's body to be released by her cervix so that it slid into the doctor's waiting arms. "Ohhh" she moaned and fell back onto the bed and smiled up at Tara who was pushing the wet strands of hair off of her face while they listened to the weak screaming of the little red human.

"Good job, Charlotte." Tara whispered softly and patted Charlotte's brow with a cool washcloth. "She did it, Tig." she said happily into the phone. "He's here."

"Aw! He's here!" Tig threw his arms around Clay and kissed him on the cheek, "He's here, my boy's here. Aw, Doc, how does he look?"

"Where're they taking him?" Charlotte said limply, turning her head slowly to look at the backs of the nurse and the doctor.

Tara walked over with the phone held to her ear by her shoulder as she took the, now clean and swaddled, baby from Dr. DeWalt's arms and walked him over to Charlotte. "Oh, Tig, he's beautiful." She placed him gently in Charlotte's waiting arms and held the phone to her ear so she could talk to Tig.

"Hi-i little bug." she said as she held her son, her breath catching in her throat as she felt his soft skin under her fingers and breathed in his new smell. "Alex?" she said softly, her voice cracking as tears slid down her face and she looked at the baby in her arms.

"Yeah?" he said, letting her know he was still there.

"Alex…" she smiled at the little, round face with it's eyes attempting to open slowly in the light of the room to look up at Charlotte. There were no words she could find to describe the feeling of holding something so fragile and so completely hers in her arms, like nothing ever had been before in her life. How something so perfect and angelic could come out of her pained and sweating body was beyond her. Unable to find exactly what to say to Alex who was waiting patiently on the line she ran her fingers over her baby's face, up over his head and blurted with a wet chuckle, "You should see this curly, black head of hair this little bug's got."

Tig sank to the floor, his back up against the wall and dissolved into tears as he listened to the wet, uneven breathing of his young, exhausted wife and high-pitched crying of the baby that was half of him.

Charlotte listened to his happy weeping for a few more seconds until she felt her eyelids start to involuntarily close. "I gotta go, Tigger." she said reluctantly, "I'm sorry, I'm so tired."

"No honey, you go." he said, wiping his eyes and sniffing the phlegm in his nose down his throat. "Take care of our little man...I love you, Charlotte."

"We love you too, daddy." she said, smiling as the baby in her arms opened and closed his little mouth.

"Well" Tig said with a sigh as he hung up the phone then looked at his watch, "At 4:13 a.m. October 17, 2008 Dalton James Trager became the newest member of SAMCRO."


	40. Vignettes

The first and only time Charlotte brought the baby to see Tig was when Charlotte was discharged from the hospital. Gemma had already done all the paperwork for her to have an unscheduled visit so when Charlotte walked out of the hospital doors with Dalton in her arms Gemma drove her straight to Stockton and waited in the front room while Charlotte took Dalton into the visitors' room.

"Oh my god." Tig gasped when he saw Charlotte sitting on the round, metal stools with the small, gurgling boy in her arms.

"Heyyy" she said softly, standing up when he walked into the large but empty room and started weaving his way through to tables to meet her.

After momentarily looking down at the wide, fair eyes of the baby in her arms he grabbed her by the face and massaged her cheeks with his hands, looking hungrily into the glistening emeralds staring back at him. The brightness of her smile drew his gaze down to her lips and he kissed them softly, leaning as close to her as he could with the baby in between them.

When he pulled his lips from hers Charlotte sunk back onto her seat and he mimicked her, sitting on the edge of his chair so that their knees touched and they could feel the warmth of each other's breath as she passed the baby gently into his arms.

"Lookit his little socks." Tig breathed in amazement as he ran his thumb over the soles of his little yellow, cotton sock-clad feet. Dalton flashed a gummy smile up at Tig and the tough, tattooed prisoner dissolved into a malleable piece of putty in the small, fleshy hand of his son. He wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at the squirming baby in his arms that elicited a small gurgle from Dalton. "I can't wait for those eyes to turn as green as yours." he said, pulling his gaze away from the ball of peach fuzz he was holding to look up at Charlotte's beaming face.

"Nah." Charlotte said, wrinkling her nose playfully at Tig and rubbing Dalton's head through the navy blue, knit hat with the SOA reaper patch sewn into it. "He's gunna be a little Tig look alike; his eyes are gunna be bluer than blue."

"Oh god." he chuckled, looking back down at Dalton, "I hope not. Poor kid…" he looked back up at Charlotte and smiled at her, "He's gotta have a little bit of you in there or else he's done for." They smiled at each other and he leaned in to kiss her again. After peppering her lips with small, soft kisses and the baby started to fuss Tig passed him back to Charlotte and looked on while she put his little head to her shoulder. "Don't bring him here again, Charlie." Tig said softly, a lump in his throat and rubbing the soft fabric of the onesie covering Dalton's back.

"What?" Charlotte said, surprised.

"Don't bring him back here." Tig said again, smiling sadly at her as a tear fell into the corner of his mouth. "I don't want him to remember the smell of the sounds of this place and think of me. Ehh..." he rubbed the moisture out of his eyes, "I'll see him in eight months in the fresh, Charming air and hold him while I got by leather on instead of this industrial, lye-treated rags." he gestured at his uniform.

"I can't wait for that." Charlotte said sweetly, running her hand through his hair causing him to turn his face and kiss her on the wrist before taking her hand in his and holding it gently, unable to take his eyes off of her and their son.

* * *

'Mambo No. 5' rang through the sound system of the upper floor of Charlotte's club, as she watched the group of women on the mainstage practicing the number they had choreographed for the week while rocking Dalton in his car seat by bouncing her foot to the beat of the music.

"Order's up!" Tiana said when she walked into the doors holding a bag with styrofoam containers full of food. She pressed the box into Charlotte's hand and swiftly bent down to sit, cross-legged next to her snoozing godson.

"Don't you dare wake him." Charlotte warned as her friend instinctively reached toward him. She opened the take out container in front of her and smiled at the rare steak soaking in its own juices. "Oh man, I cannot get enough red meat after Bug kept me off it for so long."

"I'm sure you blood pressure was grateful." Tiana joked

"Oh hush." Charlotte said, rolling her eyes and turning her attention back to the women on stage.

 _Tiana had arrived back in Charming a couple of weeks after Charlotte had given birth while she was in between international assignments and had brought a mountain of gifts for Dalton from the men of HeLMCAL with her. Having Tiana there was an immense relief to Charlotte as she balanced taking care of the baby and running Croix de Corbeaux after it's grand opening in Charlotte's seventh month of pregnancy._

 _The beauty of having been so far along in her pregnancy when the club opened was that she had completely lost her filter and the girls who worked for her learned early on that she wasn't going to deal with their petty drama or let them screw her over. Many of the dancers she had hired for the main stage and burlesque show were prima donnas who had taken less than five years of dance and thought they were on their way to LA so Charlotte was much harder on them than the women who stripped in the club downstairs._

 _Most of the girls who came to strip at Croix were Luann's girls from Cara Cara and already knew what it meant to work with Charlotte and the type of woman she was, not to mention the respect her station in the club warranted. They were all too busy trying to live their lives to be catty to one another and even more so to bother giving Charlotte a hard time, especially since she was so good to them. The club downstairs was only open to the public three nights a week which gave the women time to spend with their families if they needed to or they worked as bartenders and performers in the burlesque show on the upper floor but Charlotte always made sure they had work if they needed it. While they didn't have to work every night Charlotte had them attend biweekly pole aerobics in the afternoons and she started going with them after she had Dalton to get her muscle tone back. Spending time sweating alongside the girls and working on technique had brought them closer together and even made some more of the girls - that she didn't know so well before - feel comfortable enough to come to the Friday morning AA/NA meetings she held._

"I like that number." Tiana said when it was over, taking Charlotte's empty box from her to throw it out behind the bar.

"Yeah" Charlotte said with a smile and got to her feet "Alright" she called across the club floor to the stage, "good work today, ladies. I'd say tighten those pops but this isn't the Rockettes and you did a damn good job. Have a nice night."

"Night Mrs. T!" they said in unison and filed down the stairs to the dressing room to change. When they had vacated the club Charlotte locked the doors behind them and went to spend more time with Tiana before she had to leave in another two weeks to do business in Tokyo.

* * *

A little over three months after Charlotte had given birth Tara, Charlotte and Lyla were at the park with their children after taking Ellie to get a dress for Lyla and Opie's upcoming wedding when Tara's water broke.

"Oooooh Charlotte!" Tara said, holding her stomach and grabbing Charlotte's hand to get to her feet.

"Okay, I've got you." Charlotte said, standing up quickly and helping Tara into her black van that she had gotten, snapping Dalton into his carseat port and strapping Abel in next to him while Tara took deep breaths in the front seat.

"I gotta take the kids home but I'll see you at the hospital!" Lyla called to Charlotte who blew a quick kiss to her in response as she peeled out of the park and toward St. Thomas when Gemma met them.

"Hey my boy!" she said picking up Abel and kissing him on the cheek, "You ready to have a brother?"

"Doh" Abel said, tapping his grandmother on the nose in response

"Will you watch him?" Gemma asked, sitting him back down on the carpet of the waiting room "I want to be in the delivery room."

"Of course!" Charlotte said, sliding down onto the floor next to Abel and setting Dalton's car seat down next to her. "Okay boys" she sighed, "How about we read a book, what do you think; Abel?"

Abel turned to look at Charlotte when he said her name and smiled at her.

"Good." She pulled 'I'm a Big Brother' out of her diaper bag and held it out to Abel. "Look Abel, 'I'm a Big Brother' that's you! You are going to be a big brother today!"

He reached a tiny hand up to the book and pulled on the corner so it flopped out of Charlotte's hands and onto the floor next to him. "Broo-brooooo." he said holding the book back up to Charlotte.

"Thank you, sir!" she said softly and flipped her hair out of her face as she started to read.

Three narrations of 'I'm a Big Brother' at Abel's prompting, a round of 'The Wheels on the Bus' and 'Old McDonald,' and three diaper changes split between the two boys Charlotte was resorting to reading this month's issue of People magazine aloud to the boys.

"Well, Gisele Bundunch...Boonedchin…anyway. She and Tom Brady are engaged." she skimmed the page, "Nothing fancy." she closed the magazine on her thumb and looked seriously at Abel who was listening intently to her, "Sounds like Mr. Quarterback is growing a 28 year old beard to me." she nodded resolutely and opened the magazine to the page again. "Can you believe we're the same age?" she asked the children in front of her, turning the magazine to face them and holding the picture of Gisele next to her own face. Charlotte turned with the magazine held up to her cheek to Dalton who was gurgling and kicking his legs. "Can you believe Momma and an internationally famous model are the same age?" she looked at the picture of the blonde woman and huffed, "She's much taller than Momma, anyway…"

"Are you talking to a picture of Tom Brady?" Gemma asked, her brows furrowed, when she walked into the waiting room.

"Oh" Charlotte chuckled, "No. How's Tara doing?"

"Oh fine" Gemma said, smiling and reaching down to pick up Abel. "You want to go meet you baby brother?" she asked playfully to the happy baby in her arms. "Here, let's go meet Thomas!"

Charlotte picked up Dalton and followed Gemma to Tara's hospital room to see her, red-faced and sweating with the baby in her arms. She scooted over to allow Abel to crawl on the bed next to her and introduced him to Thomas.

"Gemma, could you get me some Jell-O" Tara asked after Abel had settled down in bed next to her.

"Sure darlin' I'll be right back." Gemma smiled and winked at Gemma, touching Thomas's face before heading toward the dining hall.

As soon as the door closed behind Gemma Tara broke into hysterics and clamped her hand around Charlotte's. "Charlotte...Charlotte" she gasped and tears blocked her airway

"God, Tara?! What is it?" Charlotte asked, filled with worry, dabbing Tara's head with a wet washcloth.

"That hat." Tara said, closing her eyes after looking briefly at the knit hat on Thomas' head. "That hat with the insignia on it...he's been here three minutes and he's already patched." Tears fell down her cheeks and she rested her head back trying to stop the steady flow of salt water from her tear ducts. "And Jax...where is he?" she looked down at Abel and started crying again. "A first birthday and a birth...and he's in prison." she covered her eyes with her hands, "He's in prison and he got stabbed...in prison!"

"Shhhh. Shh, shh." Charlotte said, looking around frantically. When Tara didn't calm down Charlotte shook her roughly until she looked at her and quieted a bit. "Listen, I know! I understand." she looked nervously over her shoulder at the door to make sure Gemma wasn't coming in. "But you can only fight that if you stick around, Tara. Stiffen that upper lip and you can determine what these boys do with their lives. It's going to be hard but you need to hide this. They can go to college, Tara...whatever you want, they can do but only if you don't go anywhere. Do you hear me?"

Tara nodded and put her hand to her mouth to force herself to stop crying. Her tears had finally stopped but she started hiccuping when Gemma finally returned. When she saw that Tara had been crying Gemma ran to her, "What happened?" she asked soothingly.

"Oh, nothing." Tara said, rolling her eyes. "I probably just put my slippers on the wrong feet." she chuckled good-heartedly.

"It's those damn hormones." Gemma said, smiling at Tara and pushing her bangs out of her face

"Yeah" Charlotte said softly, touching Tara reassuringly on the leg, "They're a bitch."


	41. Out

Tig was waiting patiently in his cell with his arms braced against the bars and his head hung down, counting each of his steady breaths as Clay paced slowly behind him.

* * *

Charlotte had just swung into a parking spot in front of the local hair salon, stepped gracefully out of the Nova and opened the door of the salon with a jingle of the bell attached to it.

* * *

When he heard the clicking sound of regulation prison guard boots Tig quickly straightened up and backed away from the door as the CO slid his keys into the lock and pushed it open with a loud _JANG_.

"Alright, you two." the CO said, stone faced, "We're goin' up. Let's go."

* * *

"Make it shorter." Charlotte told the hairdresser who had sat her down in her chair. She turned her head from side to side and ran her fingers through her long, golden blonde hair "And darker."

"The whole thing?" The hairdresser asked, appalled as she ran her hands over Charlotte's blonde locks with envy.

"No" Charlotte said, looking more intently at her hair. "Just some honey and toffee colored lowlights."

* * *

The hairdresser swung the front cape over Charlotte's chest and snapped it shut around her neck just as Tig was buttoning the short sleeved shirt he had been arrested in fourteen months ago over his chest; covering the name of his son that was tattooed on the rib right below his left pectoral in rough, American Scribe lettering.

He scooped up his bag of personal items along with the rest of SAMCRO and proceeded into the exit bay where the door was slammed shut behind them while they reattached the chains of their wallets to their belt loops and slid the rings back onto their fingers.

Tig held his gold wedding band in his hand when the doors opened and didn't slide it onto his finger until he stepped out into the sunlight and heard the doors to Stockton Prison shut tightly behind him again. He smiled down at his fingers and flexed them happily, enjoying the comfortable weight the rings restored to his hands. After looking around and breathing in the warm, June air he and the men started walking toward the gate to meet the rest of SAMCRO and get back on the leather seats of their bikes.

* * *

Charlotte examined her new hairstyle after the stylist had finished blowing it out and shook the - now honey blonde and toffee colored - strands over her shoulder to look at the length of the long bob the girl had cut her hair into. She smiled graciously and thanked the stylist, slipping a twenty dollar bill into her hand before she left the shop to go pick up Dalton from Neeta's to anxiously await the return of the interned SAMCRO members back at the clubhouse.

* * *

She was standing next to the Nova, her hand protectively resting on Dalton's back and leg as he sat up on on the hood of the car and slapped his little palms against the orange paint and grabbed at his toes, when she heard the sound of the bikes coming before they even pulled into the lot. When she did, she scooped Dalton up into her arms excitedly - a huge smile on her face - and held him until she saw the bikes slow to a stop and Tig had swiftly secured his Dyna in the upright position.

"Hey Buggy, lets show daddy what you can do, okay?" she said softly to Dalton, not taking her eyes off Tig who had dropped his helmet on the ground in his haste to meet her. She put the baby on his feet on the concrete, held his small hands in hers and trailed close behind him as he took a few tentative steps toward the row of bikes. "Good job, baby boy! Good job!" she said happily as his steps became more sure, his grasp on her hands tighter, and he headed right toward Tig.

When he saw Dalton walking wobbly toward him - his legs slightly bowed and ankles appearing as though made of jelly - Tig collapsed to his knees in front of his son and pulled him into his arms, holding the base of his head in the palm of his hand and breathing in the scent of his baby-soft black curls. He pushed his sunglasses onto his forehead and looked up at Charlotte, who was smiling down at him and dabbing her subtly wet cheeks with the back of her hand, then pulled her closer to him by the legs so he could rest his head against her hip while he closed his eyes and continued to hold his son.

Charlotte smiled, amusedly, down at the grown man on his knees in front of her, one arm wrapped around her thighs and the other holding the cooing baby close to his chest; burying his face in her hip before he got up slowly, scooping Dalton off the floor with him, and stood face to face with her.

"Hi" she said sweetly, running her fingers through both the hair of her husband and of her son at the same time.

"Hi" he said back, his smile so wide that his bare upper lip curled up under his nose. When he moved to kiss her he was stopped by Dalton's fingers grabbing onto his lip. "Little cock blocker." he said with a chuckle, pulling Dalton's digits out of his mouth and holding them in his hand so that his next attempt to kiss Charlotte wasn't interrupted. He finally pulled away after a few blissful minutes of sucking on her lower lip and rolling his tongue around in her mouth when Clay announced that they had to be in church in ten minutes. "So, what, did I miss his first words too, does he have his first Harley already?" Tig asked, looking down at the baby in his arms who was tugging on the leather of his kutte and gumming on some of his own little fingers.

"No, you don't have to worry about missing his first words." Charlotte said as she walked over to the table where Jax and Tara were sitting with Abel and Thomas. "He's a little ahead in his motor and coordination milestones but he's behind in his speech milestones; he only starting combining vowel sounds last week."

"What does that mean?" Tig asked, looking from Charlotte to Tara as he sat Dalton up in his lap.

"Probably nothing." Tara said reassuringly.

"Probably?" Tig repeated, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes." Tara said firmly

"It's probably because of, um," Charlotte cleared her throat "the drinking but Tara says it will probably amount to no more than a speech delay or an impediment of some kind."

"Yeah Tig" Tara said, patting Tig's hand "worst case scenario he'll just have to work with a specialist and be speaking completely normally by the time he's eight or nine."

"Sounds just like his dad" Kozik said, punching Tig on the arm, "Act first, ask questions later."

Charlotte smiled and let out a soft chuckle as a smile crossed Tig's face and the rest of the table laughed along with Kozik, "Yeah, I guess so." Tig turned Dalton around on his lap and help him up to look at this face, "Well, well, would you look at though light olive green eyes." he smiled at his wife and kissed her on the cheek before whispering, "Guess we were both wrong; he got a little bit of both of us."

"Yup." Charlotte said, running her hand over Dalton's head, "He sure did." he picked up her baby's hand and kissed his fingers

"Oooohuh!" Dalton said, reaching for his mother's nose.

"Oooohuh!" she parroted back to him and then pretended to gobble his fingers, causing him to giggle. Tig felt an arrow hit his heart when he heard his son's laughter and he closed his eyes happily. "Who's this, Dalton?" Charlotte said, touching Tig's face; causing him to open his eyes. "Who's this? Daddy? Is this daddy?" Dalton stared at his father's face and opened and closed his mouth.

"Ahh-ee!" Dalton exclaimed happily, bouncing his feet on Tig's laps and hitting him on the nose.

"Yeah, Bug" Tig said softly, pulling Dalton closer to him, "That's me."

* * *

When the men of SAMCRO went to church Charlotte waited in the lot with Tara and the boys until they came out again.

"We gotta get Clay to his meeting with Putlova." Tig told her as she walked over to his bike with him, Dalton on her hip. "Shouldn't take long."

"Why aren't you going to the meeting?" Charlotte said, furrowing her eyebrows.

Tig shrugged and made a noncommittal grunt then said, "Chibs said you've been picking up my envelopes?"

"Yeah" she said, nodding, "It helped with a lot of the bills and once the club opened I've been laundering it through there."

"Wait, laundering? You mean I've been paying fucking taxes on that shit?" he asked angrily.

"Yes, yes you have." she said, crossing her arms. "I can't just buy a new van and not have it be an issue. Unless you want to go to prison again for something stupid like dirty money when it's easily rectified." He looked uneasily at his feet, "Look, it's too conspicuous for you to do it through the garage, but it's easy to hide in the flow at La Croix."

"Alright" he said with a shrug and puffed his chest out, "I've never been a taxpayer before...it feels weird."

Charlotte laughed, "Oh shut up."

"Hey, um, what about the wedding present? For Opie and Lyla tonight."

"Don't need to worry about it. I got them something a couple of months ago." She watched as Tig clipped his helmet on. "See you at home?"

"Absolutely" he said with a smirk on his face, bending down to kiss her before climbing onto his bike. "Hey baby." he shouted to her over the roar of his engine, "I like your hair." he blew her a kiss and pulled out leaving her, blushing, with Dalton in her arms waving after him.

* * *

"What time is it, Buggie? Hmm?" Charlotte asked Dalton when it was getting close to two in the afternoon. "Is it naptime? Yes!" she picked him up out of his high chair and walked upstairs with him. "Yes it is." She put a new diaper on Dalton and changed him out of his Baby Gap jeans and Harley Davidson t-shirt and into a comfortable onesie for his nap. After putting some lavender scented lotion on his arms and feet and reading him 'The Monster at the End of this Book' she closed the blackout shades above his crib and picked up the baby monitor on her way out the door after shutting off the lights.

She was checking to make sure that the baby monitor was on when she heard the front door snap shut, drawing her eyes up from the monitor in her hands and causing her to stop in her was standing in front of the door with his eyes turned up to her under the shadow of his brow giving him the look of a starving wolf looking at a piece of meat for the first time all winter. Charlotte felt her skin get hot and her breath quicken in her chest as she looked at the flexing muscles in his forearms and he heavy rising and falling of his chest and shoulders as he looked her up and down before charging up the stairs at her.

"Ahh!" she squealed and giggled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and dropped her to the stairs. He climbed on top of her and started ripping her clothes off while his mouth moved hungrily over her body as more skin became exposed with each article of clothing he removed.

Tig paused when he finally removed her bra and saw her breasts for the first time in over a year. "Holy shit." he said, running his hand up over his sweating forehead and licking his lips while she continued to undress him by roughly ripping his jeans open and pulling them down to his knees.

"What?" she said, looking up at his open-mouthed face. "Wha-?" she rolled her eyes and punched him in the chest. "Boy, you better fuck me. Now."

He pulled his eyes from her breasts and smirked at her, "Yes ma'am" he said mischievously then grabbed her panties in one hand and ripped them off to stick his dick in inside of her dripping wet pussy. Each jerky thrust he made inside her slammed her tailbone into the edge of the steps she was sprawled across and made she moan in pain as the friction of his member inside her made her gasp in ecstasy. Every muscle in his body shook as he tried to subdue his almost immediate orgasm but after a few short minutes inside her he couldn't take it anymore and arched his back as he came - hard - inside her.

"Fuck" he gasped, his breath shallow in his chest as he rolled off of her and slid down the stairs onto the floor of the entryway below them.

Charlotte sat up on one of the steps above him and picked up her underwear to put it on only to find that it had been ripped at the seams to which she simply laughed and shook her head before deciding to pull Tig's shirt on instead, "I'm gunna get you some juice." she said, standing up and stepping over him on her way to the kitchen. "Catch your breath and get ready for round two."

Tig laughed and looked after her as the hem of his shirt brushed against the bottoms of her ass cheeks and he saw her long, slender legs in the light coming in from the windows. Almost two years, a wedding, a stint in prison, and a baby later and she was still the sexy, hard-nosed broad that had flattened his foot with a meat tenderizer. He loved seeing the soft side that emerged while he was inside and was constant when she was holding their son - but it was her shrewd and sick brand of bold confidence that mirrored his own that he had almost forgotten about and was so happy to see again now that he was home.

* * *

Dalton woke up crying just after Tig and Charlotte had finished their second round on the kitchen floor so Charlotte climbed the stairs to feed him while Tig jumped into the shower to get ready for the wedding. He was dressed and ready by the time Neeta knocked on the door to watch Dalton overnight and let her in while Charlotte was still getting ready.

"Hi Neeta." Charlotte said with a smile as she walked down the steps in a backless, navy blue cocktail dress with her cream colored pumps and metallic bronze fold over clutch in her hands. She pulled the hem of her dress down a little after she walked into the kitchen and bent down to give Dalton a kiss on the head before turning to Tig and saying, "You ready?"

"I am." he said standing up and spreading his arms wide for her to examine his all black get up, wearing one of his better black button up shirts

"Is that a bolo tie?" Charlotte asked, pulling on the metal choker piece

"Yup." he said proudly. Charlotte rolled her eyes at him and proceeded out the door after saying goodbye to Neeta and Dalton again. "What?" Tig asked while she was snapping the helmet onto her head. "I got it from the Wahewa...is there a problem?"

"No" she said, chuckling in his ear as she mounted the bike behind him. "You look cool, babe. Really, really cool."

* * *

After the ceremony Charlotte sat with Tig at one of the small round tables covered with the blue and white SAMCRO colors looking deeply into each other's eyes, with their fingers intertwined as the band played.

"Do you wish we could've had more of this?" he asked, gesturing to the flowers, food and tables around them.

"Nah" she said, wrinkling her nose and moving onto his lap, "We did it quick and dirty." she lowered her voice to a soft growl, "Just the way I like it."

"Mmmmm-hm-hm" he hummed cheerfully as she kissed him and pulled her closer to him by grabbing her ass. "I'm gunna take you out on the reservation and fuck you against a tree." he said, his tone one of warning, and bit her lower lip.

"Oh yeah?" she said excitedly, pressing her chest against his as their lips touched

"Yeah" he whispered, holding his face close to hers until his gaze was pulled away when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's get this over with." Clay said, looking over Tig and Charlotte's heads toward where Putlova was sitting.

"Hey, find us a good three while you're out there." she said, holding onto the front of his kutte and smiling at him before kissing him one last time.

* * *

After their business on the reservation was handled Tig was sitting at a table, smoking a joint with Kozik. Charlotte finished her dance with Piney and then walked over to the table where they were sitting and fell onto Tig's lap. She sat there innocently while he laughed with Kozik and took a couple of drags off of the joint in his hand until she bent down and pulled on his earlobe with her teeth and started unbuttoning his shirt to run her hand over his chest.

"Okay!" he said, jumping to his feet and holding her close to his body with one arm. Tig pulled her up to him so her feet were dangling just above the ground while he kissed her and started walking into the forest. "Wait!" he said, putting her on her feet, turning her toward the trees and slapping her on the ass, "I'll catch up to you. Go on now."

"Finished already?" Kozik joked when he saw Tig coming back to the table

In response Tig raised his eyebrows suggestively and grabbed the hem of the tablecloth and yanked it so that it came off the table without knocking over the centerpiece. He flung the fabric over his shoulder and started whistling as he marched toward the trees where Charlotte was waiting for him. When he saw her standing next to a tree with two thin, split trunks he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head all the way back so he could roughly suck on her neck.

"Ah!" she screamed happily and turned to drape her hands over his shoulders and kiss him roughly on the mouth.

Tig grabbed her by the hair again after kissing her for a few minutes and pulled her away from him, pushing her face into the bark of the tree in front of him so that he could loop the ends of the tablecloth around her wrists. He pulled the fabric tight around her wrists so that they were drawn together then he tied the tablecloth tightly around the back of the back of the tree. When she was almost completely immobilized he came back around the front of the tree and stared at her; helpless and squirming against the tree.

"Unbutton your shirt." she said, biting her lower lip and looking up and down hungrily at his body. He quickly obliged and spread his shirt wide open so that his bolo tie rested in his white chest hair and she could clearly see 'Dalton' written across his rib. Charlotte squealed and stomped her feet on the forest floor, urging him to move closer to her. Once he was in range she strained her neck to kiss him on the neck as he ran his hands up her body, pushing her dress up around her waist so that the black and white polka dot hiphuggers she was wearing were exposed.

He pushed his body close to hers and stuck his fingers down the front of her panties to rub her clit. When the coarse skin of his fingers made contact with her sensitive spot she gasped and pushed her head up against the tree as her muscles tensed. The fabric that his fingers had peeled away her hot mound got increasingly more wet from the small circles he was making until her leg muscles weakened and she started to slide down the trunk of the tree after having been overwhelmed by his touch.

Tig removed her underwear, discarding them onto the dirt at their feet, and stepped back so she could watch him unbuckle his pants and let them fall down around his ankles. Charlotte smiled down at his large, erect penis then looked back up at his eyes that flashed mischievously at her and made a chill run up her spine. He moved slowly back up against her and pressed his body against hers, kissing her furiously, so she could feel the solid log that was his cock rolling against the soft skin of her inner thigh.

"Please" she moaned breathily as his open mouth sucked and kissed her bare skin.

He chuckled forebodingly then used his hand to guide his throbbing cock into her waiting vagina and grabbed her legs up to wrap them around his waist to get a better angle to plow his member into her. Feeling each merciless thrust ram against the sensitive walls of her pussy made her moan with mounting pleasure. She closed her eyes at the painful jabs she was getting across her back from the knots of the tree that caused her to strain against the restraints to stop the bark from stabbing her in the same places twice. This, however, was unavoidable and she soon felt some of the small bruises on her back be torn open into scratches. With each new mark made on her back her moans of pleasure for the sensation of Tig sliding in and out of her were mixed with ones expressing the pain she was in as well.

Listening to the conflicting sounds she was making heightened Tig's arousal and caused him to move faster inside her, loving the feel of the pressure of her thighs clamped tightly around him. He braced himself against the tree with one arm as he moved closer to climax and bent down to kiss Charlotte on the shoulder. She whimpered hopefully as his mouth neared the covered mound of her breast underneath the fabric of her dress and, reading her signals to him correctly, he swiftly tore down each strap of her backless dress so that her breasts were exposed for him to take her nipples into his hands.

Being allowed these moments of pure pleasure while he stopped bucking her body into the rough exterior of the tree to play with her hard, sensitive nipples, brought her to the peak of her ecstasy. Unable to speak through the moans coming from her throat she lifted her leg and nudged Tig gently in the back of the thigh with the heel of her foot to get him to continue moving inside her. At this prompting her lifted up one of her legs again and started rocking his hips into hers rapidly;n still rolling one of her nipples in his fingers to stimulate her into orgasming.

When she did, Charlotte stiffened quickly as waves of ecstasy ran through her body until her legs turned to jelly and she could no longer hold herself up against the tree. Due to this, Tig had to push her even harder into the trunk of the tree in order to keep fucking her until he finished as well. After jerking violently and moaning loudly when he released his milky juices into her he pulled his, slowly deflating, member out of her - causing their cum to drip out of her pulsating pussy and down her soft, supple thighs - he quickly pulled his pants on and unsheathed his knife so that he could cut her loose from the tree.

With the tablecloth no longer binding her to the trunk of the tree Charlotte involuntarily collapsed when she attempted to put weight on her gelatinous leg muscles and landing on her knees in the dirt. Tig stopped buttoning up his shirt and bent down to help her to her feet. When he saw the damage that had been done to her back, however, he picked her up, and - after pulling her dress back over her body - trudged back passed the wedding to where he had parked his bike with her exhausted body in his arms and drove them both home to get her cleaned up, kiss their son goodnight and go to sleep in his beautiful, king-sized bed.


End file.
